reserpine Pharm.
(rɪˈsɜːpiːn)
[ad. G. reserpin (J. M. Müller et al. 1952, in Experientia VIII. 338), f. initial letter of Rauwolfia + -e- + L. serp-entina (see below), fem. of serpentinus serpentine a.: see -ine5.]
A colourless crystalline alkaloid C33H40N2O9, which is obtained from the roots of several plants of the genus Rauwolfia, notably R. serpentina, and is used to treat hypertension and as a sedative.
| 1952 [see chlorpromazine]. 1954 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 20 Mar. 1040/1 It seems that reserpine reduces the blood pressure by exerting an effect on the central nervous system. 1958 Observer 30 Nov. 12/4 New drugs such as chlorpromazine and reserpine make the minds of the mentally ill more accessible. 1966 New Scientist 24 Nov. 430/3 Reserpine interferes with the retention, mainly in the hypothalamus.., of a number of amines. 1973 Sci. Amer. Sept. 121/1 Once widely used, reserpine has been replaced by the phenothiazines because of the greater frequency of reserpine's serious side effects. 1974 Times 20 Sept. 3/7 There seems little doubt that this link between regular use of reserpine and an increased cancer risk is genuine. |
Hence reˈserpinized a., treated with reserpine; reˌserpiniˈzation, the process of, or condition resulting from, treatment with reserpine.
| 1960 Federation Proc. XIX. 266/1 (heading) LSD-25 and brain serotonin in reserpinized rat. 1962 Lancet 22 Dec. 1330/2 The accumulation and retention of 14C from the blood-glucose in vivo are greatly diminished in the heart of ‘reserpinised’ rats. 1963 Federation Proc. XXII. 364/2 The animal was 5 to 10 times more sensitive to these substances after reserpinization than before. 1973 Nature 13 Apr. In the absence of endogenous catecholamines (that is reserpinization) the transient contractile tension response to the ionophore was attenuated, but elevation of resting tension persisted. 1975 Pediatric Res. IX. 463 (heading) The chronically reserpinized rat as a possible model for cystic fibrosis. |