Saripidem
Encyclopedia
Saripidem is a sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....

 and anxiolytic
Anxiolytic
An anxiolytic is a drug used for the treatment of anxiety, and its related psychological and physical symptoms...

 drug in the imidazopyridine
Imidazopyridine
The imidazopyridines are a class of drugs defined by their chemical structure. They are generally GABAA receptor agonists, however recently proton pump inhibitors in this class have been developed as well. Despite usually being similar to them in effect, they are not chemically related to...

 family, which is related to the better known drugs zolpidem
Zolpidem
Zolpidem is a prescription medication used for the short-term treatment of insomnia, as well as some brain disorders. It is a short-acting nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic of the imidazopyridine class that potentiates gamma-aminobutyric acid , an inhibitory neurotransmitter, by binding to GABAA...

 and alpidem
Alpidem
Alpidem is an anxiolytic drug from the imidazopyridine family, related to the more well known sleeping medication zolpidem. Unlike zolpidem however, alpidem does not produce sedative effects at normal doses, and is instead used specifically for the treatment of anxiety.Alipidem was developed by ...

.

Saripidem has a similar pharmacological profile to the benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepine
A benzodiazepine is a psychoactive drug whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring...

 family of drugs including sedative and anxiolytic properties, but its chemical structure
Chemical structure
A chemical structure includes molecular geometry, electronic structure and crystal structure of molecules. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule and the chemical bonds that hold the atoms together. Molecular geometry can range from the very simple, such as...

 is quite different from that of the benzodiazepine drugs, and saripidem is described as a nonbenzodiazepine
Nonbenzodiazepine
The nonbenzodiazepines, also called benzodiazepine-like drugs, are a class of psychoactive drugs pharmacologically resembling the benzodiazepines, with similar benefits, side effects and risks, despite having dissimilar or entirely different chemical structures.-Classes:There are currently three...

.

The mechanism of action by which saripidem produces its sedative and anxiolytic effects is by modulating the benzodiazepine binding site on GABAA receptors, however unlike many older GABAA agonist
Agonist
An agonist is a chemical that binds to a receptor of a cell and triggers a response by that cell. Agonists often mimic the action of a naturally occurring substance...

s, saripidem is highly subtype selective and binds primarily to the ω1 subtype.
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