The mechanism of action of a procaine base (usually referred to as procaine or its hydrochloride form, such as procaine hydrochloride) mainly involves its pharmacological action as a local anesthetic. Specifically, the mechanism of action of procaine includes the following aspects:
1. Blocking sodium ion channels:
Procaine can diffuse through nerve cell membranes depending on the concentration gradient.
- Blocking sodium channels on the inside of nerve cells. Sodium ion channels are an important structure in nerve cells. Their main function is to control the excitability of nerve cells by regulating the flow of sodium ions.
When the sodium channel is blocked, the concentration of sodium ions inside the nerve cell gradually increases, causing the nerve cell's excitation threshold to rise. This makes the nerve cells unable to produce enough excitatory responses without sufficient stimulation.
2. Affect the excitability of nerve cells:
Blocking sodium channels also reduces the action potential of nerve cells and prolongates the refractory period. An action potential is an electrical signal produced by a nerve cell after stimulation, which marks the excited state of the nerve cell. The refractory period is the time it takes for a nerve cell to generate an action potential again after being stimulated.
These changes cause the nerve cells to gradually lose their excitability and conductivity, and can no longer respond to external stimuli or transmit this response to other nerve cells. Therefore, procaine has good local anesthetic effect.
3. Local anesthesia:
By blocking the sodium ion channel of nerve cells, procaine changes the internal environment of nerve cells, so that it can not normally carry out information transmission, thus achieving the effect of anesthesia.
- Clinically, procaine is mainly used as local anesthesia in various surgeries, such as dental, ophthalmic, ENT and other surgeries. In addition, it can also be used for infiltration anesthesia, block anesthesia, subarachnoid anesthesia, epidural anesthesia and block therapy.
4. Effects on the central nervous system:
- At higher concentrations, procaine can act directly on the central nervous system, producing central inhibitory effects. This includes reducing brain excitability, stabilizing nerve cell membrane potential, preventing abnormal discharge, etc., so as to play an anti-convulsive role.
- However, as the dose increases, procaine may also cause symptoms of central excitotoxicity, such as muscle tremors, irritability, and convulsions.
5. Other functions:
Procaine also has an analgesic effect, which can reduce the transmission of nerve impulses, so as to achieve the analgesic effect.
It can also increase coronary blood flow, improve oxygen supply to the heart muscle, and reduce myocardial damage caused by ischemia.
- In some cases, procaine can also be used to treat conditions such as pancreatitis, hemoptysis, and renal colic.
It is important to note that procaine is a prescription drug and must be used properly under the guidance of a doctor. Allergy test should be done before use, and those with positive results should not use. Adverse reactions such as nausea, sweating, dyspnea, flushing, delirium, excitement, convulsion, and possibly anaphylactic shock may occur during medication. Therefore, the use should strictly follow the doctor's advice, pay attention to monitoring related adverse reactions.
