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Valproate pp 7–45Cite as

Birkhäuser

Pharmacological effects and mechanisms of action

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Part of the book series: Milestones in Drug Therapy ((MDT))

Abstract

Valproate (valproic acid; usually used as its sodium salt), also referred to as di-n-propylacetic acid, is a simple eight-carbon branched-chain fatty acid with unique anticonvulsant properties. Valproic acid was first synthesized in 1882 by Burton [1], but there was no known clinical use until its anticonvulsant activity was fortuitously discovered by Pierre Eymard in 1962 in the laboratory of G. Carraz, which was published by Meunier et al. [2]. The first clinical trials of the sodium salt of valproate were reported in 1964 by Carraz et al. [3]. It was marketed in France in 1967, and was released subsequently in more than 100 other countries (in the United States in 1978) for the treatment of epilepsy. Since then, valproate has established itself worldwide as a major antiepileptic drug against several types of epileptic seizures. Clinical experience with valproate has continued to grow in recent years, including use of valproate for diseases other than epilepsy, e.g. in bipolar disorders and migraine. In the following, the preclinical pharmacological profile of valproate and the putative mechanisms involved will be reviewed.

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    Wolfgang Löscher

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Löscher, W. (1999). Pharmacological effects and mechanisms of action. In: Löscher, W. (eds) Valproate. Milestones in Drug Therapy. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8759-5_2

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