hydroxydione

Hydroxydione is a synthetic neuroactive steroid that was previously used as a general anesthetic. It acts primarily as a positive allosteric modulator of the GABA_A receptor, enhancing the inhibitory effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the central nervous system. Hydroxydione was introduced in the early 1950s under the brand name Viadril for intravenous anesthesia but was later withdrawn from clinical use due to reports of thrombophlebitis and other adverse reactions. It is structurally related to endogenous neurosteroids and represents one of the earliest examples of steroid-based anesthetics.

Brand names

Viadril

Other names

hydroxydione21-hydroxy-5β-pregnane-3,20-dione