Brofaromine is a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A

Reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A

Reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A are a class of drugs which selectively and reversibly inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase A . They are used clinically in the treatment of depression and dysthymia, though they have not gained widespread market share due to limited efficacy relative to...

 discovered by Ciba-Geigy. The drug is primarily useful in the treatment of depression

Clinical depression

Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...

 and anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...

. Brofaromine also has serotonin reuptake inhibitory properties and its dual pharmacologic effects offer promise in the treatment of a wide spectrum of depressed patients while producing less severe anticholinergic side effects in comparison with standard drugs although it is not commercially available and is not being actively researched, possibly due to a lack of financial interest.

Pharmacology

Brofaromine is a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A

Reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A

Reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A are a class of drugs which selectively and reversibly inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase A . They are used clinically in the treatment of depression and dysthymia, though they have not gained widespread market share due to limited efficacy relative to...

 (RIMA, a type of monoamine oxidase inhibitor

Monoamine oxidase inhibitor

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are a class of antidepressant drugs prescribed for the treatment of depression. They are particularly effective in treating atypical depression....

 (MAOI)) and acts on epinephrine

Epinephrine

Epinephrine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. In chemical terms, adrenaline is one of a group of monoamines called the catecholamines...

 (adrenaline), norepinephrine

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...

 (noradrenaline), serotonin

Serotonin

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...

, and dopamine

Dopamine

Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...

. Unlike standard MAOIs, possible side effects do not include cardiovascular complications (hypertension

Hypertension

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...

) with encephalopathy

Encephalopathy

Encephalopathy means disorder or disease of the brain. In modern usage, encephalopathy does not refer to a single disease, but rather to a syndrome of global brain dysfunction; this syndrome can be caused by many different illnesses.-Terminology:...

, liver toxicity

Hepatotoxicity

Hepatotoxicity implies chemical-driven liver damage.The liver plays a central role in transforming and clearing chemicals and is susceptible to the toxicity from these agents. Certain medicinal agents, when taken in overdoses and sometimes even when introduced within therapeutic ranges, may injure...

 or hyperthermia

Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia is an elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate...

.