1. Alpha Blockers
Dr Naser Ashraf Tadvi
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacology
Ayaan Institute of Medical Sciences
2. Objectives
• Classify alpha blockers according to the
selectivity of receptor subtype
• Describe the mechanism of action and
pharmacological actions of alpha blockers
• Discuss the clinical uses and important
adverse effects
• Briefly describe individual alpha blockers
3. Alpha receptors
2-receptor1-receptor
Postsynaptic
• Blood vessels, smooth
muscles,
• Bladder sphincter, radial
muscle of iris.
• Liver & skeletal muscle
Presynaptic Post synaptic
Inhibit release
of NE in
synapse
Gi
Gq
Gq
Blood vessels
Contraction
7. Blockers Pharmaclogical actions
Nasal Stuffiness
Miosis
Relaxation of smooth muscles
GFR
Intestine
motility
Salt & Water
Retention
BP
Vasodilatation
8. Reversible non selective α blockers
• Similar affinities for α-1 and α-2
• Cardiovascular effects
– Vasodilation & reflex tachycardia
– Postural hypotension
• Other effects
– Nasal stuffiness
– Miosis
– Improved urinary flow rates
– Failure of ejaculation & impotence
– Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
Phentolamine and tolazoline
9. Usual increase
in BP
2
effect
Adrenaline
1 + 1 effect
Adrenaline causes
fall in BP !!!
2 effect
(DHE) -blockers
2 effect
Adrenaline
Adrenaline
Sir Henry Dale
(1906)
Dales Vasomotor
reversal
phenomenon
10. • Diagnosis & intraoperative management of
phaeochromocytoma
• Hypertensive crisis
– Control hypertension in clonidine withdrawal
– Cheese reaction
• Peripheral vascular disease (Raynaud`s
syndrome & frost bite)
• Extravasation of Noradrenaline / dopamine
• Erectile dysfunction
Reversible non selective α blockers
Therapeutic Uses of Phentolamine
Tolazoline: less potent, better absorbed from GIT
11. Irreversible non selective α blockers
• Slow onset & long duration of action 3-4 days
• Inhibits NE reuptake & also blocks muscarinic,
histamine and 5-HT receptors
• CVS effects
– Similar to phentolamine: ↓BP, tachycardia etc
– Na+ & fluid retention
– CVS effects are not reversed by Catecholamine
• Other effects:
– Similar to phentolamine
– Sedation, Fatigue
Phenoxybenzamine Pharmacological actions
12. Therapeutic Uses of Phenoxybenzamine
• Phaeochromocytoma
– Intraoperatively
– Treatment of inoperable cases (with metyrosine)
• To treat peripheral vascular disease like
Raynaud`s syndrome and frost bite
14. Prazosin
• Cardiovascular effects
– Vasodilatation Hypotension
– Inhibits cyclic phosphodiestase enzyme
↑cAMP in vascular smooth muscle
– Less tachycardia than non-selective blockers
• Does not block pre-synaptic 2 autoreceptor
• Decrease cardiac pre-load
• Suppresses sympathetic outflow from CNS
15. Pharmacological Effects
• Lipid Profile
– Rise in HDL level
– Lowers LDL and triglyceride level
• Genito-urinary System
– Relaxes smooth muscles in bladder neck,
prostate capsule and prostatic urethra
improve in urine flow in benign prostatic
hypertrophy.
Prazosin
16. Therapeutic Uses of prazosin
1.Hypertension
Advantage: Favorable lipid profile
Disadvantage: First dose effect
(1 mg at bed time – titrated upwards)
2.Benign prostatic hyperplasia: symptomatic
treatment
Disadvantage
– Twice daily dose
– Postural hypotension
3.Raynaud’s Disease
17. Adverse Effects of prazosin
• Postural hypotension at initial dose (First
dose effect) – syncopal attack
• Impotence
• Nasal congestion
• GI Tract upset
• Sodium and Water retention
18. Terazosin and doxazosin
• Selective alpha 1 blockers with longer
duration of action
• Terazosin t ½ = 12 hrs, doxazosin =18 hrs
• Well absorbed orally
• Use:
– Benign prostatic hyperplasia
• Preferred due to once daily dosing
• Apoptosis promoting effect on prostrate
• Faster action than finasteride
19. Alfuzosin
• Similar to prazosin
• Used for symptomatic treatment of Benign
prostatic hyperplasia
20. Tamsulosin & sildosin
• Relatively uroselective α1A / α1D blocker
• lacks prostatic apoptosis promoting property
• More efficacious in BPH treatment with little
effect on Blood pressure
• Adverse effects:
– Intraoperative floppy iris during cataract surgery
– Abnormal ejaculation
– Selective α1A blocker
– Weaker but longer acting analog of tamsulosin
Tamsulosin
Sildosin
21. Subdivision of 1 Blockers
1A 1B
Location Bladder neck and
urethra
Blood vessels
Block Relaxation of
smooth muscles
and opening of
urethral urine flow
Relaxation of
smooth muscle of
blood vessels
vasodilatation
22. α2 Adrenergic receptor blocker
• Natural alkaloid
• Also blocks 5 HT receptors
Therapeutic Use: (Off label)
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Treatment of postural hypertension
• Male sexual dysfunction
Yohimbine
Sympatholytic drugs are the drugs which inhibit the action produced by stimulation of sympathetic nervous system
Phentolamine is poorly absorbed from GIT & is administered intravenously. It has an immediate onset but shorter duration of action, venodilation predominates arteriolar dilation
To prevent dermal necrosis
Inj regitine 10mg/ml
It is a hslogenated alkylamine that cyclizes rapidly in body to form highly reactive ethyleneium intermediate which reacts with alpha receptors forming strong covalent bond
The alpha blockade is of non equilibrium type develops gradually even after iv inj and lasts 3 to 4 days till fresh receptors are synthesized
Partial Blocks muscarinic, histamine and 5-HT receptor also but not beta 2 receptors
Drug crosess the BBB and can cause CNS stimulation, nausea and vomiting on injection. But oral doses produce depression, tiredness and lethargy
Same as phentolamine
↓BP, Reflex tachycardia and palpitation
Postural hypotension
Vasomotor reversal of Dale..
Iv – cns stimulation
Oral cns depression
Pharmacokinetics: oral absorption of phenoxybenzamine is erratic and incomplete, im and sc injections are very painful should not be given. Chronic administration leads rto accumulation in the tissues
Trade name fenoxene 10 mg cap , biophenox 50 mg / ml inj
Treatment of pheocromocytoma : 1mg/ kg slow iv infusion controls episodes of severe hypertension during surgical manipulation of phaechromocytoma. In cases of malignant phaechromocytoma it can be given along with metyrosine a competitive inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase – rate limiting enzyme in synthesis of NE and E
Occasionally used in peripheral vascular disease
It causes peripheralvasodilation and fall in arterial bp with less tachycardia because
it lacks alpha 2 action so doesn’t promote NE RELEASE from sympathetic nerve terminals
It decreases cardiac preload
Supresses sympathetic outflow from CNS
It is a potent inhibitor of Cyclic phosphodiesterase enzyme hence consequential rise in cAMP in vascular smooth muscle could possibly contribute to its vasodilating effect
One more favourable effect is observed rise of HDL and lowered LDL
Drug is well absorbed after oral administration and the plasma half life is 2-4 hours and effect of single dose lasts 6-8 hours , effective orally, highly bound to plasma proteins mainly alpha-1 acid glycoprotein , metabolized in liver and excreted primarily in bile
Prazopress 0.5, 1 , 2 mg tabs dose 1-4 mg bd –tds
Dilates arterioles more than the veins postural hypotension is less marked but may occur in beginning causing a dizziness and fainting epidose. This can be minimized by starting a low dose and taking it at bed time . Subsequently tolerance develops to this side effect due to hemodymanic adjustments.
Other alpha blocking side effects like miosis, nasal stuffiness, inhibition of ejaculation are also milder for these reasons prazosin has replaced phenoxybenzamine and phentolamine
Oral BA = 80-90%
Dose 1-8 mg od
Hytrin
Doxacard
However the combination works better
Alfuzosin is short acting half life = 3-5 hours , a congener of prazosin developed specifically for symptomatic trearment of BHP
Non selective for apha 1A,b, d subtypes
Bunazosin has longer half life but no favourable profile than prazosin
Alpha 1 a receptors primarily located on bladder neck and 1b on blood vessels
Tamsulosin better bioavailability and less cardiac side effects
Lipid soluble crosses BBB
Actions : heart rate and BP are elevated due to increased central sympathetic outflow as well as enhanced peripheral NE release
It may cause congestion in genitals and is considered as an aphrodisiac. The effect is only psychological and overcome psychological impotence in some patients