Pharmacology of the receptors dextro enantiomer of medetomidine, which is the methylated derivative of etomidine, is the chemical structure of dexmedetomidine. It has seven times of specificity more than that of clonidine for the alpha-2 receptor, with an alpha-2/alpha-1 binding affinity ratio of 1620:1, and its effects are dose-dependently reversed by administration of a selective alpha-2 antagonist such as atipamezole (Scheinin et al., 1998).
The different pharmacodynamic effects of dexmedetomidine are mediated by specific alpha-2 receptor subtypes. Alpha-2A receptor is responsible for sedation, hypnosis, analgesia, sympatholysis, neuroprotection (Ma D et al., 2004), and inhibition of insulin secretion (Fagerholm et al., 2008). Alpha-2B receptor
The different pharmacodynamic effects of dexmedetomidine are mediated by specific alpha-2 receptor subtypes. Alpha-2A receptor is responsible for sedation, hypnosis, analgesia, sympatholysis, neuroprotection (Ma D et al., 2004), and inhibition of insulin secretion (Fagerholm et al., 2008). Alpha-2B receptor