chemistry

Nicorandil

Nicorandil is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nicorandil rather than just read about it. In short: Nicorandil is a vasodilator drug used to treat angina, which is chest pain that results from episodes of transient myocardial ischemia. Angina can be caused by diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and aortic stenosis.

Key takeaways

Nicorandil belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nicorandil to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nicorandil from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nicorandil is a vasodilator drug used to treat angina, which is chest pain that results from episodes of transient myocardial ischemia. Angina can be caused by diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and aortic stenosis. It was patented in 1976 and approved for medical use in 1983.

Side effects Side effects listed in the British National Formulary include flushing, palpitations, weakness and vomiting. More recently, perianal, ileal, and peristomal ulceration has been reported as a side effect. Anal ulceration is now included in the British National Formulary as a reported side effect. Other side effects include severe migraine, toothache, and nasal congestion.

Mechanism of action Nicorandil is an anti-angina medication that has the dual properties of a nitrate and ATP-sensitive K+ channel opener. In humans, the nitrate action of nicorandil dilates the large coronary arteries at low plasma concentrations. At high plasma concentrations nicorandil reduces coronary vascular resistance, which is associated with increased ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP) opening. Nicorandil stimulates guanylate cyclase to increase formation of cyclic GMP (cGMP). cGMP activates protein kinase G (PKG), which phosphorylates and inhibits GTPase RhoA and decreases Rho-kinase activity. Reduced Rho-kinase activity permits an increase in myosin phosphatase activity, decreasing the calcium sensitivity of the smooth muscle. PKG also activates the sarcolemma calcium pump to remove activating calcium. PKG acts on K+ channels to promote K+ efflux and the ensuing hyperpolarization inhibits voltage-gated calcium channels. Overall, this leads to relaxation of the smooth muscle and coronary vasodilation. The effect of nicorandil as a vasodilator is mainly attributed to its nitrate property. Yet, nicorandil is effective in cases where nitrates, such as nitroglycerine, are not effective. Studies show that this is due to its KATP channel agonist action which causes pharmacological preconditioning and provides cardioprotective effects against ischemia. Nicorandil activates KATP channels in the mitochondria of the myocardium, which appears to relay the cardioprotective effects, although the mechanism is still unclear. In experimental animal models of the Long QT syndrome, Nicorandil normalizes the prolonged cardiac action potential duration and the QT interval.

Synthesis

Amide reaction between Nicotinoyl Chloride [10400-19-8] & 2-Aminoethyl Nitrate [646-02-6].

The reaction of N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)Nicotinamide [6265-73-2] with nitric acid gives nicorandil.

Names

Brand names Nicorandil is marketed under the brand names Ikorel (in the United Kingdom, Australia and most of Europe), Cordinic (in Russia), Angedil (in Romania, Poland), Dancor (in Switzerland), Nikoran, PCA (in India), Aprior (in the Philippines), Nitorubin (in Japan), and Sigmart (in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China). Nicorandil is not available in the United States.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nicorandil

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nicorandil claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nicorandil before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nicorandil ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nicorandil

In research: Nicorandil appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nicorandil in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nicorandil is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 3-Pyridyl compounds, Antianginals, Drugs developed by Merck, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nicorandil outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nicorandil in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nicorandil means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nicorandil out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nicorandil in simple terms?

Why does Nicorandil matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nicorandil?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nicorandil.