Pyridostigmine pharmacology

Qualitatively, the pharmacological properties of pyridostigmine are analogous to neostigmine. A synonym of this drug is mestinon. 

Development of sexual behavior can be affected by neonatal pharmacological treatment with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline, the monoamine depletor reserpine as well as with the acetylcholine esterase inhibitor pyridostigmine. These results suggest that biogenic amines are involved in sexual differentiation of the brain (refs. 162, 163). Pargyline treatment from day 1 to 14 or day 15 to 28 resulted in earlier development of puberty in female rats and delayed appearance of puberty in male rats. Male sexual behavior was decreased in both sexes. Treatment with reserpine on days 1, 4, 7 and 10 delayed the manifestation of puberty in both sexes, and caused disturbed female ovarian cycles and decreased male mounting behavior. 

Kassa, J., Vachek, J., Bajgar, J., Fusek, J. (2001a). A combination of pyridostigmine with anticholinergic drugs effective pharmacological pretreatment of soman-poisoned mice. ASA... 

The pharmacologic treatment of myasthenia gravis is based on increasing the amount of available acetylcholine by use of oral cholinesterase inhibitors such as neostigmine or pyridostigmine. Pyridostigmine bromide (Mestinon) is used most often and effectively relieves myasthenic symptoms in small muscles innervated by cranial nerves, particularly those involved in ptosis. 

Maxwell, D. M., Brecht, K. M., Doctor, B. P., Wolfe, A. D. (1993). Comparison of antidote protection against soman by pyridostigmine, HI-6 and acetylcholinesterase. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 264, 1085—1089. 

Kassa, J., and Vachek, J., A comparison of the efficacy of pyridostigmine alone and in the combination of pyridostigmine with anticholinergic drugs as pharmacological pretreatment of tabun-poisoned rats and mice, Toxicology, 177, 179-185,2002. 

Klnwe, W.M., Page, J.G., Toft, J.D., Ridder, W.E., and Chung, H., Pharmacological and toxicological evaluation of orally administered pyridostigmine in dogs, Fundam. Appl. Toxicol, 14, 40, 1990. 

Aquilonius, S.M., Eckemas, S.A., Hartvig, R, Lindstrom, B., and Ostennan, P.O., Clinical pharmacology of neostigmine and pyridostigmine in patients with myasthenia gravis, J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat., 46, 929, 1983. 

P. Dirnhuber and D. M. Green, Effectiveness of Pyridostigmine in Reversing Neuromuscular Blockade Produced by Soman , Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, vol. 30 (1978) pp. 419-25. 

Kassa, ]., Musilek, K., Koomlova, M., et al., 2012. A comparison of the efficacy of newly developed reversible inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase with commonly used pyridostigmine as pharmacological pre-treatment of soman-poisoned mice. Basic Clin. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 110, 322-326. 

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