hydralazine

Hydralazine is a direct-acting vasodilator, a small molecule pharmaceutical drug primarily used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. It functions by directly relaxing the smooth muscles in the walls of resistance arterioles, thereby decreasing peripheral resistance and lowering blood pressure. This relaxation is largely attributed to the inhibition of intracellular calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum within arterial smooth muscle cells. Additionally, hydralazine has been found to activate the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway through the inhibition of prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD) enzymes, a mechanism that may have implications for treating ischemic diseases. Discovered by scientists at Ciba and patented in 1949, hydralazine was approved by the FDA in 1953 and is administered orally or intravenously.

Brand names

Apresoline

Other names

肼苯哒嗪1-hydrazinylphthalazineC-5968C5968C 59681-hydrazinophthalazine