the active ingredient in a drug used to relieve certain side effects caused by treatment with opiods (pain killers similar to morphine), such as constipation (hard, dry stools), itching, and low urine flow. methylnaltrexone binds to opioid receptors outside the brain and may block the side effects of opioid drugs without affecting their ability to relieve pain. methylnaltrexone is a type of peripheral opioid receptor antagonist.
出典:Wiktionary
From methyl + naltrexone.
methylnaltrexone (uncountable)
出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/05/18 15:55 UTC 版)
Methylnaltrexone (MNTX, trade name Relistor) is one of the newer agents of peripherally-acting μ-opioid antagonists that act to reverse some of the side effects of opioid drugs such as constipation without affecting analgesia or precipitating withdrawals. Because it contains a permanently charged tetravalent nitrogen atom, it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, and so has antagonist effects throughout the body, counteracting effects such as itching and constipation, but without affecting opioid effects in the brain such as analgesia. However, since a significant fraction (up to 60 %) of opioid analgesia can be mediated by opioid receptors on peripheral sensory neurons, particularly in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, traumatic or surgical pain, MNTX may increase pain under such circumstances.