RESEARCH MONOGRAPH · KDC-MN-229
Pirlindole
Pirlindole (Pyrazidol) is the Soviet-era reversible MAO-A inhibitor, developed at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in the 1970s and registered in the USSR in 1975, several years before Roche's moclobemide reached European markets. Mechanistically it does the same job as moclobemide (reversible MAO-A blockade) but with a chemical scaffold completely unlike its Western counterpart, plus a side-activity blocking 5-HT2 serotonin receptors that may contribute to its mood effects. Russian and Eastern European clinicians have been using it for nearly fifty years for depression. The Western literature on it is thin, partly because it never went through Western regulatory review and partly because most of its trials were published in Russian-language journals. Not stocked by Kodiac. This monograph is provided for research and educational reference.
Intrigue 0–100 blends mechanism novelty, evidence strength, and translational potential. Kodiac editorial, not peer-reviewed.
Atypical reversible MAO-A inhibitor
A pyrazinocarbazole RIMA developed in the USSR in the 1970s; the historical Soviet RIMA equivalent.
Abstract
Pirlindole (2,3,3a,4,5,6-hexahydro-8-methyl-1H-pyrazino[3,2,1-jk]carbazole; CAS 60762-57-4; molecular formula C15H18N2; molecular weight 226.32) is a pyrazinocarbazole RIMA developed at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in the 1970s and registered in the USSR in 1975 under the trade name Pyrazidol. The compound is a reversible competitive MAO-A inhibitor with secondary 5-HT2 antagonism contributing to its antidepressant profile. Clinical efficacy has been documented in Soviet and post-Soviet trials in major depressive disorder, dysthymia, and reactive depression; head-to-head data versus moclobemide are sparse. Plasma half-life is approximately 2 to 4 hours; metabolism is hepatic. The compound is well tolerated relative to hydrazine MAOIs and does not require tyramine restriction at clinical doses. Approval is restricted to Russia and former Soviet states; not registered in the US, EU, or other Western markets. Used as the historical reference RIMA from the Soviet pharmacological tradition.
Mechanism of action
Reversible competitive MAO-A inhibition with 5-HT2 receptor antagonism. Pyrazinocarbazole scaffold structurally distinct from moclobemide.
Reported research dose ranges
Reported research dose ranges in the literature.
References
- Andreev BV, et al. Pirlindole: pharmacology and clinical use. Eksp Klin Farmakol 1995.
- Mashkovsky MD. Lekarstvennye sredstva (Medicinal Drugs). Moscow: Novaya Volna 2005.
- Mosolov SN. Pirlindole in major depressive disorder: a review. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2004.
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The full reference document is provided strictly for research use only. It reports research dose ranges from the published literature, not instructions for use in humans or animals.
FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY. Not for medical, diagnostic, or therapeutic purposes. Not for human consumption. All information is provided for research and educational purposes only.