| Alpha blockers α-blockers | |
|---|---|
| Drug class | |
| Class identifiers | |
| Use | • Hypertension • Vasoconstriction • BPH • Raynaud's Disease • Pheochromocytoma • CHF • Erectile Dysfunction |
| Mechanism of action | • Receptor antagonist • Inverse agonist • Neutral antagonist |
| Biological target | α-adrenoceptors |
| Legal status | |
| In Wikidata | |
Alpha blockers, also known as α-blockers or α-adrenoreceptor antagonists, are a class of pharmacological agents that act as antagonists on α-adrenergic receptors (α-adrenoceptors).[2]
Historically, alpha-blockers were used as a tool for pharmacologic research to develop a greater understanding of the autonomic nervous system. Using alpha blockers, scientists began characterizing arterial blood pressure and central vasomotor control in the autonomic nervous system.[3] Today, they can be used as clinical treatments for a limited number of diseases.[2]
Alpha blockers can treat a small range of diseases such as hypertension, Raynaud's disease, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and erectile dysfunction.[2] Generally speaking, these treatments function by binding an α-blocker to α receptors in the arteries and smooth muscle. Ultimately, depending on the type of alpha receptor, this relaxes the smooth muscle or blood vessels, which increases fluid flow in these entities.[2]
- ^ Katzung B (1987). Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. Appleton & Lange. ISBN 9780838505533.
- ^ a b c d Katzung B, Masters S (2013). Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. Lange. ISBN 978-0-07-176402-5.
- ^ Bousquet P, Schwartz J (May 1983). "Alpha-adrenergic drugs. Pharmacological tools for the study of the central vasomotor control". Biochemical Pharmacology. 32 (9): 1459–1465. doi:10.1016/0006-2952(83)90466-5. PMID 6134533.