Proparacaine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chemical structure of Proparacaine
Proparacaine
Systematic (IUPAC) name
2-(Diethylamino)ethyl 3-amino-4-propoxybenzoate
Identifiers
CAS number 499-67-2
ATC code N01BA04
PubChem 10367247
DrugBank APRD00650
Chemical data
Formula C16H26N2O3 
Mol. mass 294.389 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability n/a
Metabolism plasma
Half life  ?
Excretion  ?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.

C(US)

Legal status
Routes Topical

Proparacaine (Alcaine, Ak-Taine) is a topical anesthetic drug of the amino ester group. It is indicated for use as an opthalmic anesthetic, to reduce pain and discomfort during procedures involving the eye. Proparacaine is available as its hydrochloride salt in opthalmic solutions at a concentration of 0.5%. It is believed the drug exerts an effect on voltage gated sodium channels (as an antagonist) to affect the permeability of neuronal membranes; how this inhibits pain sensations and the exact mechanism of action of proparacaine are, however, unknown.