Research Area: Neurological Disease
Biological Activity:
Riluzole(Rilutek) is a drug used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It delays the onset of ventilator-dependence or tracheostomy in selected patients and may increase the survival approximately 3–5 months. [1] Its pharmacological activities in motor neurons include the following: 1) an inhibitory effect on glutamate release 2) inactivation of voltage-dependent sodium channels  3) interference with intracellular events that follow transmitter binding at excitatory amino acid receptors. In animal models, this agent has been shown to exhibit myorelaxant and sedative activities, apparently due to the blockade of glutamatergic neurotransmission. [1]