Alprazolam triazolobenzophenone is a chemical compound which can be both a synthetic precursor and a

prodrug A prodrug is a medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be used to improve how the drug ...

for the

benzodiazepine Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, ...

derivative

alprazolam Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It is most commonly u ...

. At neutral pH it readily cyclizes to alprazolam, while in acidic conditions alprazolam undergoes a ring-opening reaction back to the triazolobenzophenone. A series of related

acyl In chemistry, an acyl group is a moiety derived by the removal of one or more hydroxyl groups from an oxoacid, including inorganic acids. It contains a double-bonded oxygen atom and an alkyl group (). In organic chemistry, the acyl group (IUPAC n ...

derivatives was researched in the 1980s as injectable water-soluble prodrugs of alprazolam, but were never developed for medical use. Subsequently, this compound has been detected as a

designer drug A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. Des ...

, first being identified from a seizure in Spain in March 2014.

References

2-Aminobenzophenones Chlorobenzenes Benzodiazepine prodrugs {{nervous-system-drug-stub

See also

References