Orciprenaline Explained

Orciprenaline, also known as metaproterenol, is a bronchodilator used in the treatment of asthma.^{[1] [2]} Orciprenaline is a moderately selective β₂ adrenergic receptor agonist that stimulates receptors of the smooth muscle in the lungs, uterus, and vasculature supplying skeletal muscle, with minimal or no effect on α adrenergic receptors. The pharmacologic effects of β adrenergic agonist drugs, such as orciprenaline, are at least in part attributable to stimulation through β adrenergic receptors of intracellular adenylyl cyclase, the enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of ATP to cAMP. Increased cAMP levels are associated with relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle and inhibition of release of mediators of immediate hypersensitivity from many cells, especially from mast cells.__TOC__

Possible side effects

• tremor
• nervousness
• dizziness
• weakness
• headache
• nausea
• tachycardia

Rare side effects that could be life-threatening

• increased difficulty breathing
• rapid or increased heart rate
• irregular heartbeat
• chest pain or discomfort

Brand names

• Alupent
• Metaprel
• Orcibest

Notes and References

1. DrugBank 3.0: a comprehensive resource for omics research on drugs . Knox C, Law V, Jewison T, Liu P, Ly S, Frolkis A, Pon A, Banco K, Mak C, Neveu V, Djoumbou Y, Eisner R, Guo AC, Wishart DS . Nucleic Acids Res. . 2011 . 39 . Database issue . D1035-41 . 21059682 . 10.1093/nar/gkq1126 . 3013709.
2. DrugBank: a knowledgebase for drugs, drug actions and drug targets. David S. Wishart . Wishart DS, Knox C, Guo AC, Cheng D, Shrivastava S, Tzur D, Gautam B, Hassanali M . Nucleic Acids Res . 2008 . 36 . Database issue . D901-6 . 18048412 . 10.1093/nar/gkm958 . 2238889.