Procaine is a chemical. People use it for medicine. Be careful not to confuse the procaine used by mouth with the prescription procaine given by injection only under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Procaine is most often used as an anti-aging agent for conditions such as dementia, age-related decline in memory and thinking skills, quality of life, and many others, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Biological Activity

Procaine hydrochloride is a local anesthetic of the ester type that has a slow onset and a short duration of action. It is mainly used for infiltration anesthesia, peripheral nerve block, and spinal block.

Pharmacodynamics

Procaine is an anesthetic agent indicated for production of local or regional anesthesia, particularly for oral surgery. Procaine (like cocaine) has the advantage of constricting blood vessels which reduces bleeding, unlike other local anesthetics like lidocaine. Procaine is an ester anesthetic. It is metabolized in the plasma by the enzyme pseudocholinesterase through hydrolysis into para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which is then excreted by the kidneys into the urine.

Mechanism of action

Procaine acts mainly by inhibiting sodium influx through voltage gated sodium channels in the neuronal cell membrane of peripheral nerves. When the influx of sodium is interrupted, an action potential cannot arise and signal conduction is thus inhibited. The receptor site is thought to be located at the cytoplasmic (inner) portion of the sodium channel. Procaine has also been shown to bind or antagonize the function of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors as well as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and the serotonin receptor-ion channel complex.

Precautions

Before using procaine, talk to your healthcare provider if you have

liver problems;

bleeding or blood clotting problems;

heart problems;

a neuromuscular disease such as myasthenia gravis; or

other serious medical conditions.

You may not be able to use procaine, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment.

It is not known whether procaine will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not use procaine without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment.

It is not known whether procaine passes into breast milk. Do not use procaine without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.