Isoprenaline

Isoprenaline, also known as isoproterenol and sold under the brand name Isuprel among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used in the treatment of acute bradycardia (slow heart rate), heart block, and rarely for asthma, among other indications. It is used by injection into a vein, muscle, fat, or the heart, by inhalation, and in the past under the tongue or into the rectum. Side effects of isoprenaline include rapid heart beat, heart palpitations, and arrhythmias, among others. Isoprenaline is a selective agonist of the β-adrenergic receptors, including both the β1- and β2-adrenergic receptors. By activating these receptors, it increases heart rate and the force of heart contractions. Chemically, isoprenaline is a synthetic catecholamine and is the N-isopropyl analogue of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline). Isoprenaline was one of the first synthetic sympathomimetic amines and was the first selective β-adrenergic receptor agonist. The medication was discovered in 1940 and was introduced for medical use in 1947.