Chemical Properties
Off-White Solid
Uses
Xylazine Hydrochloride is an alpha-2 agonist with sedative, analgesic, and muscle relaxant properties. It is approved for use in dogs,cats,horses,deer,and elk. This agent causes vomiting in a large percentage of cats and in some dogs. Xylazine is antagonized by yohimbine. It produces effective analgesia in horses and is often used for treating the pain associated with colic and for sedation for minor procedures.It is also used in combination with ketamine for short-term feld procedures in horses,such as castration and suturing of extensive wounds，because this combination usually produces 15 to 20 minutes of recumbency. Extralabel use of xylazine for cesarean sections in cattle and other surgical procedures is common. Xylazine Hydrochloride is used in cats and dogs as a tranquilizer and in combination with other injectable agents for surgical procedures.
Definition
ChEBI: Xylazine hydrochloride is the hydrochloride salt of xylazine. It is used as a sedative, analgesic, and muscle relaxant in veterinary medicine. It has a role as an alpha-adrenergic agonist, an analgesic, an emetic, a muscle relaxant and a sedative. It contains a xylazine(1+).
brand name
Rompun (Bayer Animal Health).
Biological Activity
Xylazine Hydrochloride is a strong agonist of α2-adrenoceptor [1].xylazine hcl has been reported to stimulate the proliferation of rat thymocytes in vivo (at doses of 2.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) and in vitro (at concentration of 5 mm) [2]. in the analgesic testing, xylazine has shown a significant prolongation of the analgesic effects in the presence of naloxine in 40 and 50 mins. in addition, xylazine has also shown the inhibitory effect in the mouse vas deferens bioassay with the ic50 value of 18nm. furthermore, xylazine has displayed a potent specific [3h]-dihydromorphine binding inhibition with the ic50 value of 8μm in opiate receptor binding test [1].
Biochem/physiol Actions
Xylazine is used as a sedative in goats as it is safe, active and a cheap drug. It is a centrally acting drug, which exhibits muscle relaxant and analgesic properties.
Side effects
Respiratory depression, low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, hypothermia, pupil constriction and, sometimes, high blood sugar levels.
The pupil constriction and respiratory depression are particularly of concern, as these are very common and widely understood effects of an opioid overdose.
Severe, necrotic skin ulcerations are the most striking side effect of xylazine. Notably, while these skin ulcerations may appear at the site of injection, they may appear at a completely different site on the body altogether. Soft tissue infections are often associated with IV drug use of more conventional illicit substances such as opioids, but these are almost always located at the injection site.
Veterinary Drugs and Treatments
Xylazine Hydrochloride is approved for use in dogs, cats, horses, deer, and elk. It
is indicated in dogs, cats, and horses to produce a state of sedation
with a shorter period of analgesia, and as a preanesthetic before local
or general anesthesia. Because of the emetic action of xylazine
in cats, it is occasionally used to induce vomiting after ingesting
toxins.
References
[1] s. browning, d.lawrence1, a.livingston & b.morris. interaction of drugs active at opiate receptors and drugs active at α2-adrenoceptors on various test systems
[2] colić m1, cupić v, pavicić l, vucević d, varagić vm. xylazine, an alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, modulates proliferation of rat thymocytes in vivo and in vitro. methods find exp clin pharmacol. 2000 sep;22(7):557-62.
