J. Parkinson
Aug 15, 1959
Citations
0
Influential Citations
6
Citations
Journal
Nature
Abstract
CORNE and Edge1, working in these laboratories, found that large doses of pempidine (1 : 2 : 2 : 6 : 6-pentamethylpiperidine) a new ganglion-blocking agent used in the oral treatment of hypertension, caused some reduction in the output of acetylcholine from the perfused superior cervical ganglion of the cat during preganglionic stimulation. The reduction in output was insufficient to account for the complete block in transmission observed, nevertheless an investigation into the possible interference of pempidine with the in vitro synthesis of acetylcholine seemed worth while. It has already been shown that the inhibitory effect of pempidine on the breakdown of acetylcholine by acetylcholinesterase is of a low order and the drug cannot be classed as an active cholinesterase inhibitor such as physostigmine1.