Suriclone (Suril) 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
An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or antianxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxi ...
drug in the
cyclopyrrolone
Cyclopyrrolones are a family of hypnotic and anxiolytic nonbenzodiazepine drugs with similar pharmacological profiles to the benzodiazepine derivatives.
Although cyclopyrrolones are chemically unrelated to benzodiazepines, they function via the b ...
family of drugs. Other cyclopyrrolone drugs include
zopiclone
Zopiclone, sold under the brand name Imovane among others, is a nonbenzodiazepine used to treat insomnia, difficulty sleeping. Zopiclone is molecularly distinct from benzodiazepine drugs and is classed as a cyclopyrrolone. However, zopiclone inc ...
and
pagoclone
Pagoclone is an anxiolytic agent from the cyclopyrrolone family, related to better-known drugs such as the sleeping medication zopiclone. It was synthesized by a French team working for Rhone-Poulenc & Rorer S.A. Pagoclone belongs to the class of ...
.
Suriclone has a very 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 with less
amnestic
Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use o ...
effects,
and its
chemical structure
A chemical structure determination includes a chemist's specifying the molecular geometry and, when feasible and necessary, the electronic structure of the target molecule or other solid. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of at ...
is quite different from that of the benzodiazepine drugs.
The mechanism of action by which suriclone produces its sedative and anxiolytic effects is by modulating
GABAA receptors, although suriclone is more subtype-selective than most benzodiazepines.
References
{{GABAAR PAMs
Carbamates
Chloroarenes
Cyclopyrrolones
GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators
Naphthyridines
Piperazines
Sedatives
Dithianes
Nitrogen heterocycles
Sulfur heterocycles
Heterocyclic compounds with 2 rings