Description A benzazepine derived from norbelladine. It is found in galanthus and other amaryllidaceae. Galantamine is a cholinesterase inhibitor that has been used to reverse the muscular effects of gallamine triethiodide and tubocurarine, and has been studied as a treatment for Alzheimer disease and other central nervous system disorders.
Mechanism of action Galantamine is a phenanthrene alkaloid and a reversible, competitive acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It is not structurally related to other acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Galantamine proposed mechanism of action involves the reversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, which prevents the hydrolysis of acetycholine, leading to an increased concentration of acetylcholine at cholinergic synapses.
Galantamine also binds allosterically with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and may possibly potentiate the action of agonists (such as acetylcholine) at these receptors.