Blonanserin is a relatively new atypical antipsychotic

Atypical antipsychotic

The atypical antipsychotics are a group of antipsychotic tranquilizing drugs used to treat psychiatric conditions. Some atypical antipsychotics are FDA approved for use in the treatment of schizophrenia...

 commercialized by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma

is a pharmaceutical company based in Japan.The original Dainippon Pharmaceuticals was established in 1885 by Nagayo Sensai, a graduate of Tekijuku – the first private medical school in Japan established by Ogata Kōan. It was set up as a wholly private company invested by a number of people in...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

 for the treatment of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...

. Relative to many other antipsychotics, blonanserin has an improved tolerability

Tolerability

Tolerability is how tolerable in terms of side effects a medication is.As an example, tricyclic antidepressants are very poorly tolerated and often produce severe side effects including sedation, orthostatic hypotension, and anticholinergic effects, whereas the newer antidepressant agomelatine has...

 profile, lacking side effect

Side effect

In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequences of the use of a drug.Occasionally, drugs are...

s such as extrapyramidal symptoms and excessive sedation

Sedation

Sedation is the reduction of irritability or agitation by administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure or diagnostic procedure...

 and hypotension

Hypotension

In physiology and medicine, hypotension is abnormally low blood pressure, especially in the arteries of the systemic circulation. It is best understood as a physiologic state, rather than a disease. It is often associated with shock, though not necessarily indicative of it. Hypotension is the...

.

Blonanserin acts as a mixed 5-HT₂

5-HT2 receptor

The 5-HT2 receptors are a subfamily of 5-HT receptors that bind the endogenous neurotransmitter serotonin . The 5-HT2 subfamily consists of three G protein-coupled receptors which are coupled to Gq/G11 and mediate excitatory neurotransmission, including 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT2C...

 (K_i = 3.98 nM) and D₂ receptor (K_i = 14.8 nM) antagonist

Receptor antagonist

A receptor antagonist is a type of receptor ligand or drug that does not provoke a biological response itself upon binding to a receptor, but blocks or dampens agonist-mediated responses...

. It also exerts some blockade of α₁-adrenergic receptor

Alpha-1 adrenergic receptor

The alpha-1 adrenergic receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor associated with the Gq heterotrimeric G-protein. It consists of three highly homologous subtypes, including α1A-, α1B-, and α1D-adrenergic...

s (K_i = 56.3 nM) and has low affinity for the sigma receptor

Sigma receptor

The sigma receptors σ1 and σ2 bind to ligands such as 4-PPBP, SA 4503, ditolylguanidine, dimethyltryptamine and siramesine.- Classification :...

 (IC₅₀ = 286 nM). Blonanserin lacks significant affinity for numerous other sites including 5-HT₁

5-HT1 receptor

The 5-HT1 receptors are a subfamily of 5-HT receptors that bind the endogenous neurotransmitter serotonin . The 5-HT1 subfamily consists of five G protein-coupled receptors that are coupled to Gi/Go and mediate inhibitory neurotransmission, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT1D, 5-HT1E, and 5-HT1F...

, 5-HT₃

5-HT3 receptor

The 5-HT3 receptor is a member of the superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels, a superfamily that also includes the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors , and the inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors for GABA and glycine...

, D₁, α₂-adrenergic

Alpha-2 adrenergic receptor

The alpha-2 adrenergic receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor associated with the Gi heterotrimeric G-protein. It consists of three highly homologous subtypes, including α2A-, α2B-, and α2C-adrenergic. Some species other than humans express a fourth α2D-adrenergic receptor as well...

, β-adrenergic, H₁

H1 receptor

The H1 receptor is a histamine receptor belonging to the family of Rhodopsin like G-protein-coupled receptors. This receptor, which is activated by the biogenic amine histamine, is expressed throughout the body, to be specific, in smooth muscles, on vascular endothelial cells, in the heart, and in...

, mACh

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor

Muscarinic receptors, or mAChRs, are acetylcholine receptors that form G protein-coupled in the plasma membranes of certain neurons and other cells...

, and the monoamine transporter

Monoamine transporter

Monoamine transporters are protein structures that function as integral plasma membrane transporters to regulate concentrations of extracellular monoamine neurotransmitters. Three major classes of MATs are responsible for the reuptake of their associated amine neurotransmitters...

s.