Cinaciguat
Encyclopedia
Cinaciguat is an experimental drug for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure
Acute decompensated heart failure
Acute decompensated heart failure is a common and potentially serious cause of acute respiratory distress.-Causes:Chronic stable heart failure may easily decompensate...

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Mechanism of action

Cinaciguat activates the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) which is a receptor for nitric oxide
Nitric oxide
Nitric oxide, also known as nitrogen monoxide, is a diatomic molecule with chemical formula NO. It is a free radical and is an important intermediate in the chemical industry...

. This increases biosynthesis of cyclic GMP, resulting in vasodilation
Vasodilation
Vasodilation refers to the widening of blood vessels resulting from relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, particularly in the large arteries, smaller arterioles and large veins. The process is essentially the opposite of vasoconstriction, or the narrowing of blood vessels. When...

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See also

  • Riociguat
    Riociguat
    Riociguat is a novel drug that is currently in clinical development by Bayer. It is a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase...

    , another drug stimulating sGC, but with a different mechanism
  • PDE5 inhibitor
    PDE5 inhibitor
    A phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, often shortened to PDE5 inhibitor, is a drug used to block the degradative action of phosphodiesterase type 5 on cyclic GMP in the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels supplying the corpus cavernosum of the penis...

    s act further downstream in the nitric oxide signalling pathway, reducing cyclic GMP degradation.
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