Edrophonium chloride
Edrophonium chloride is an active substance used in medicine for the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases. It is a cholinesterase inhibitor, which means that it prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine, an important messenger substance for muscle contraction. In this article, you will find out what edrophonium chloride is, how it works and what its advantages and disadvantages are.
What is edrophonium chloride?
Edrophonium chloride is a synthetic compound with the molecular formula C10H16ClNO and a molecular weight of 201.70 g/mol. It is a white, crystalline powder with a bitter taste. Edrophonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium compound, which means that it has a positively charged nitrogen atom in its structure.
How does edrophonium chloride work?
Edrophonium chloride acts as a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor. This means that it blocks the enzyme cholinesterase, which normally breaks down acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that enables the transmission of nerve signals to the muscle at the neuromuscular endplate. When edrophonium chloride inhibits cholinesterase, the concentration of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft increases and thus strengthens muscle contraction.
What is edrophonium chloride used for?
Edrophonium chloride is mainly used in the so-called tensilon test to diagnose neuromuscular diseases. One such disease is myasthenia gravis, in which the transmission of nerve signals to the muscle is disturbed and rapidly weakens with repeated movement stimuli. Typical symptoms include drooping of the upper eyelids (ptosis) or weakness of the facial and swallowing muscles.
In the Tensilon test, the patient is administered edrophonium chloride intravenously and it is observed whether the muscle weakness improves. If this is the case, it is referred to as a positive tensilon test and the presence of myasthenia gravis is likely. However, other muscle diseases must be excluded by differential diagnosis, for example Lambert-Eaton syndrome.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of edrophonium chloride?
Edrophonium chloride has the advantage that it is fast-acting and has a very short half-life. This means that it only remains in the body for a short time and does not accumulate. This makes it a suitable agent for the Tensilon test.
However, edrophonium chloride also has some disadvantages and side effects. As it acts not only on the neuromuscular endplate, but also on other parts of the body where acetylcholine plays a role, it can cause adverse effects. These include, for example:
- Asthma attack
- Bradycardia (slowed heartbeat)
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- salivation
- sweating
- Miosis (constriction of the pupils)
- Accommodation disorders (difficulty focusing the eye)
Caution is also advised in patients with certain pre-existing conditions, for example cardiovascular disease or asthma. Edrophonium chloride is therefore not suitable for the treatment of myasthenia or other muscle diseases.
Edrophonium chloride is an active ingredient that acts as a cholinesterase inhibitor to increase muscle contraction. It is mainly used in the Tensilon test to diagnose neuromuscular diseases such as myasthenia gravis. However, edrophonium chloride also has some disadvantages and side effects that limit its use.
The authors assume that a veterinarian should be consulted if an animal is ill and that medication should only be taken after consultation with a doctor or pharmacist. Only an individual examination can lead to a diagnosis and treatment decision.
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