Saripidem is a

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

and anxiolytic drug in the imidazopyridine family, which is related to the better known drugs zolpidem and

alpidem Alpidem (Ananxyl) is an anxiolytic drug from the imidazopyridine family, related to the more well known sleeping medication zolpidem. Unlike zolpidem however, alpidem does not produce sedative effects at normal doses, and is instead used specifi ...

. Saripidem has a similar pharmacological profile to 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, ...

family of drugs including sedative and anxiolytic properties, but its chemical structure is quite different from that of the benzodiazepine drugs, and saripidem is described as a

nonbenzodiazepine Nonbenzodiazepines (), sometimes referred to colloquially as Z-drugs (as many of their names begin with the letter "z"), are a class of psychoactive drugs that are very benzodiazepine-like in nature. They are used in the treatment of sleep proble ...

. The mechanism of action by which saripidem produces its sedative and anxiolytic effects is by modulating the benzodiazepine binding site on GABA_A receptors, however unlike many older GABA_A

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...

s, saripidem is highly subtype selective and binds primarily to the ω1 subtype.

References

{{GABAAR PAMs Carboxamides Chloroarenes GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators Imidazopyridines Sedatives