Application

Pilocarpine hydrochloride has been used to stimulate salivary secretions in mice. It has also been used to induce status epilepticus(SE) in rat.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Nonselective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist; used to produce an experimental model of epilepsy.

Pilocarpine is alkaloid isolated from the shrub Pilocarpus species. It comprises imidazole ring and γ- lactone ringsin its structure. It has cholinergic potential and it stimulates the parasympathetic system. Pilocarpine is also effective for treating glaucoma. It stimulates ciliary muscle contraction by binding to muscarinic M3 receptors. It is effective in treating corneal dryness in Sjogren′s syndrome. It is a secretagogue, which improves salivary secretions in Xerostomia or a dry mouth condition in Sjogren′s syndrome patients and in radiotherapy patients with head and neck carcinoma.

Caution

Hygroscopic, light sensitive

Features and Benefits

This compound is featured on the Acetylcholine Receptors (Muscarinic) page of the Handbook of Receptor Classification and Signal Transduction. To browse other handbook pages, click here.

This compound is a featured product for ADME Tox and Neuroscience research. Discover more featured ADME Tox and Neuroscience products. Learn more about bioactive small molecules for other areas of research at sigma.com/discover-bsm.

Other Notes

Shelf life of the powder is at least five years.

Packaging

5, 10, 50 g in poly bottle