Pilocarpine

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Pilocarpine

Pilocarpine is a muscarinic

Muscarine

Muscarine, L--muscarine, or muscarin is a Secondary metabolite found in certain mushrooms, particularly in Inocybe and Clitocybe species, such as the deadly Clitocybe dealbata....
alkaloid

Alkaloid

Alkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds containing base nitrogen atoms. The name derives from the word alkaline and was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base....
obtained from the leaves of tropical American shrubs from the genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
Pilocarpus
Pilocarpus

Pilocarpus is a genus of about 13 species of plants belonging to the family Rutaceae, native to the Neotropic ecozone of South America. Various species are important Pharmacology....
. It is a non-selective muscarinic receptor agonist in the parasympathetic nervous system

Parasympathetic nervous system

The parasympathetic nervous system is a division of the autonomic nervous system , along with the sympathetic nervous system and enteric nervous system ....
, which acts therapeutically at the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3

The muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3, also known as the cholinergic receptor, muscarinic 3, is a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor....
due to its topical application, e.g. in glaucoma

Glaucoma

Xerostomia

Xerostomia is the medical term for a dry mouth due to a lack of saliva. Xerostomia is sometimes colloquially called pasties, cottonmouth, or doughmouth....
.

carpine has been used in the treatment of chronic open-angle glaucoma

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of diseases of the optic nerve involving loss of ganglion cell in a characteristic pattern of optic atrophy. Raised intraocular pressure is a significant risk factor for developing glaucoma ....
and acute angle-closure glaucoma for over 100 years.

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Encyclopedia

Pilocarpine is a muscarinic

Muscarine

Alkaloid

Genus

Parasympathetic nervous system

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3

The muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3, also known as the cholinergic receptor, muscarinic 3, is a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor....
due to its topical application, e.g. in glaucoma

Glaucoma

Xerostomia

Xerostomia is the medical term for a dry mouth due to a lack of saliva. Xerostomia is sometimes colloquially called pasties, cottonmouth, or doughmouth....
.

Clinical uses

Pilocarpine has been used in the treatment of chronic open-angle glaucoma

Glaucoma

Iris sphincter muscle

The Iris sphincter muscle is a muscle in the part of the eye called the iris. It encircles the eye, appropriate to its function as a constrictor....
, causing the muscle to contract and produce miosis

Miosis

Miosis is constriction of the pupil of the eye. This is a normal response to an increase in light but can also be associated with certain pathological conditions, microwave radiation exposure and certain drugs....
. Pilocarpine also acts on the ciliary muscle and causes it to contract. When the ciliary muscle contracts, it opens the trabecular meshwork

Trabecular meshwork

The trabecular meshwork is an area of tissue in the eye located around the base of the cornea, near the ciliary body, and is responsible for draining the aqueous humor from the eye via the anterior chamber ....
through increased tension on the scleral spur. This action facilitates the rate that aqueous humor leaves the eye

Eye

Eyes are Organ that detect light, and send signals along the optic nerve to the visual system and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system....
to decrease intraocular pressure

Intraocular pressure

Intraocular pressure is the fluid pressure inside the eye....
.

In ophthalmology pilocarpine is also used to reduce the possibility of glare at night from lights if the patient underwent implantation of phakic intraocular lens

Intraocular lens

An intraocular lens is an implanted lens in the eye, usually replacing the existing lens because it has been clouded over by a cataract, or as a form of refractive surgery to change the eye's optical power....
es; the use of pilocarpine would reduce the size of the pupils, relieving these symptoms. The most common concentration for this use is pilocarpine 1%, the weakest concentration.

Pilocarpine is also used to treat dry mouth (xerostomia

Xerostomia

Xerostomia is the medical term for a dry mouth due to a lack of saliva. Xerostomia is sometimes colloquially called pasties, cottonmouth, or doughmouth....
), e.g. as a side effect of radiation therapy

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the medicine use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer oncology to control malignant cell s . Radiotherapy may be used for curative or Adjuvant chemotherapy cancer treatment....
for head and neck cancers. Pilocarpine stimulates the secretion of large amounts of saliva

Saliva

Saliva is the watery and usually frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is produced in and secreted from the salivary glands....
and sweat

SWEAT

SWEAT is an OLN/The Sports Network television program hosted by Julie Zwillich that aired in 2003-2004.Each of the 13 half-hour episodes of SWEAT features a different outdoor sport: kayaking, mountain biking, ice hockey, beach volleyball, soccer, windsurfing, Sport rowing, Ultimate , triathlon, wakeboarding, snowboarding, telemark skiin...
.

Pilocarpine is used to stimulate sweat glands in a sweat test

Sweat test

The sweat test measures the concentration of chloride and sodium that is excreted in sweat. It is used to diagnose cystic fibrosis ....
to measure the concentration

Concentration

In chemistry, concentration is the measure of how much of a given chemical substance there is mixed with another substance. This can apply to any sort of chemical mixture, but most frequently the concept is limited to homogeneous solutions, where it refers to the amount of solute in the solvent....
of chloride

Chloride

The chloride ion is formed when the chemical element chlorine picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−....
and sodium

Sodium

Sodium is an element which has the symbol Na , atomic number 11, atomic mass 23 amu , and a common oxidation number +1. Sodium is a soft, silvery white, highly reactive element and is a member of the alkali metals within "group 1" ....
that is excreted in sweat. It is used to diagnose cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is a Genetic disorder affecting the exocrine glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure....
(CF).

Trade names

Pilocarpine is available under several trade names such as: Diocarpine (Dioptic), Isopto Carpine (Alcon), Miocarpine (CIBA Vision), Ocusert Pilo-20 and -40 (Alza), Pilopine HS (Alcon), Salagen (MGI Pharma), Scheinpharm Pilocarpine (Schein Pharmaceutical), and Timpilo (Merck Frosst).

Adverse effects

Use of pilocarpine may result in a range of adverse effects, most of them related to its non-selective action as a muscarinic receptor agonist. Pilocarpine has been known to cause excessive sweating, excessive salivation, bronchospasm

Bronchospasm

Bronchospasm or "Bronchial Spasm" is a sudden constriction of the muscles in the walls of the bronchioles. It is caused by the release of substances from mast cells or basophils under the influence of anaphylatoxins....
, increased bronchial mucus

Mucus

In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes and immunoglobulins that serves to protect Epithelium in the respiratory,...
secretion, bradycardia

Bradycardia

Bradycardia , as applied to adult medicine, is defined as a resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute, though it is seldom symptomatic until the rate drops below 50 beat/min....
, hypotension

Hypotension

In physiology and medicine, hypotension refers to an abnormally low blood pressure. This is best understood as a physiologic state, rather than a disease....
, browache

Ache

Ache may refer to:* Ache , a You've Got Foetus on Your Breath album* Ache Records, a Vancouver-based record label* Ache, a chronic, painful sensation...
(when used as eye drops) and diarrhea

Diarrhea

In medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea , is characterized by frequent loose or liquid bowel movements. The spelling of "diarrhea" is an appropriation of the Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." ....
. It can also result in miosis

Miosis

Miosis is constriction of the pupil of the eye. This is a normal response to an increase in light but can also be associated with certain pathological conditions, microwave radiation exposure and certain drugs....
when used chronically as an eye drop. Systemic injection of Pilocarpine can compromise the blood-brain barrier allowing the pilocarpine to gain access to the brain. This can lead to chronic epilepsy

The therapeutic uses of pilocarpine are limited by its adverse effects.