Sections
History and Discovery | Structure–Activity Relations | Pharmacological Profile | Pharmacokinetics and Disposition | Mechanism of Action | Indications and Efficacy | Side Effects and Toxicology | Drug–Drug Interactions | Conclusion | References
Excerpt
Aripiprazole is a dihydroquinolinone antipsychotic agent. Chemically,
it is unrelated to phenothiazine, butyrophenone, thienobenzodiazepine,
or other antipsychotic agents. Pharmacologically, it exhibits a
novel mechanism of action, combining partial agonist activity at
dopamine2 (D2),
dopamine3 (D3),
and serotonin1A (5-HT1A)
receptors with antagonist activity at serotonin2A (5-HT2A)
and D2 receptors (Burris et al. 2002; Jordan et al. 2002). The development and
approval of aripiprazole represent a significant event in the history
of antipsychotic agents, as it potentially represents another significant
innovation following the introduction of first-generation, or typical, antipsychotic
drugs and second-generation, or atypical, antipsychotic drugs in
the pharmacology and mechanism of action of therapeutic agents for
psychotic disorders.