Definition

ChEBI: A hydrochloride which has procainamide as the amino component.

General Description

Procainamide hydrochloride,p-amino-N-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl]benzamidemonohydrochloride, procainamidium chloride (Pronestyl,Procan SR), has emerged as a major antiarrhythmic drug. Itwas developed in the course of research for compoundsstructurally similar to procaine, which had limited effectas an antiarrhythmic agent because of its central nervoussystem (CNS) side effects and short-lived action causedby rapid hydrolysis of its ester linkage by plasma esterases.Because of its amide structure, procainamide hydrochlorideis also more stable in water than is procaine. Aqueoussolutions of procainamide hydrochloride have a pH ofabout 5.5. A kinetic study of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysisof procainamide hydrochloride showed it to be unusuallystable to hydrolysis in the pH range 2 to 7, even at elevatedtemperatures.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Procainamide hydrochloride is a sodium channel blocker and Class IA anti-arrhythmic. It has also been shown to Inhibit DNA methyltransferase and modulate epigenetic regulation of gene expression.

Veterinary Drugs and Treatments

Procainamide potentially may be useful for the treatment of ventricular premature complexes (VPC’s), ventricular tachycardia, or supraventricular tachycardia associated with Wolff-Parkinson- White (WPW) syndrome with wide QRS complexes. Higher doses may be beneficial in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardias, although procainamide cannot be considered a first-line agent for this dysrhythmia.