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British Medical Bulletin 2005 71(1):77-92; doi:10.1093/bmb/ldh036
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Published online 31 January 2005

British Medical Bulletin, Vol. 71 © The British Council 2005; all rights reserved

{alpha}2-Adrenoceptor agonists: shedding light on neuroprotection?

Daqing Ma, Nishanthan Rajakumaraswamy and Mervyn Maze

Departments of Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, SW10 9NH, UK

Correspondence to: Dr D. Ma, Department of Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, Imperial College London, Chelsea & Westminster Campus, London SW10 9NH, UK. E-mail: d.ma{at}imperial.ac.uk

Although {alpha}2-adrenoceptor agonists are widely used for analgesia, anxiolysis, sedation, sympatholysis and as anaesthetic-adjuncts for many years, their potential use as neuroprotectants has so far been confined to laboratory experiments. Despite the large body of evidence from both in vivo and in vitro studies, their exact neuroprotective mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we review the available literature pertaining to the neuroprotective effect of {alpha}2-adrenoceptor agonists and the possible biochemical and physiological cascades involved in their mechanisms of action. The remarkable safety profile of {alpha}2-adrenoceptor agonists and their high potency of neuroprotection should prompt clinical trials to evaluate their neuroprotective efficacy in humans.


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