Zolazepam (Flupyrazapon) is a pyrazolodiazepinone derivative structurally related 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, ...

drugs, which is used as an

anaesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two ...

for a wide range of animals in

veterinary Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

medicine. Zolazepam is usually administered in combination with other drugs such as the

NMDA ''N''-methyl--aspartic acid or ''N''-methyl--aspartate (NMDA) is an amino acid derivative that acts as a specific agonist at the NMDA receptor mimicking the action of glutamate, the neurotransmitter which normally acts at that receptor. Unlike ...

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

tiletamine Tiletamine is a dissociative anesthetic and pharmacology, pharmacologically classified as an NMDA receptor antagonist. It is related chemically to ketamine. Tiletamine hydrochloride exists as odorless white crystals. It is used in veterinary me ...

or the α2

adrenergic receptor The adrenergic receptors or adrenoceptors are a class of G protein-coupled receptors that are targets of many catecholamines like norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline) produced by the body, but also many medications like beta ...

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 ...

xylazine Xylazine is a pharmaceutical drug used for sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation, and analgesia in animals such as horses, cattle, and other non-human mammals. Veterinarians also use xylazine as an emetic, especially in cats. It is an anal ...

, depending on what purpose it is being used for. It is around four times the potency of diazepam (0.32 mg/kg versus 1.2 mg/kg in animal models) but it is both water-soluble and un-ionized at physiological pH meaning that its onset is very fast. Zolazepam was developed by Horace A. de Wald and Donald E. Butler for

Parke-Davis Parke-Davis is a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Although Parke, Davis & Co. is no longer an independent corporation, it was once America's oldest and largest drug maker, and played an important role in medical history. In 1970 ...

and was the result of a very detailed analysis of the benzodiazepine structure ( filed in 1969). Zolazepam, in combination with

, has been used in the tranquilization of wild animals, such as gorillas and polar bears, and has been found to be superior to

ketamine Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It is also used as a recreational drug. It is one of the safest anesthetics, as, in contrast with opiates, ether, and propofol, it suppresses ne ...

because of reduced side-effects. A 1:1 mixture of zolazepam and tiletamine is sold under the names Telazol and Zoletil.

References

General anesthetics GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators Lactams Fluoroarenes Pyrazolodiazepines Veterinary drugs {{sedative-stub

See also

References