Procaine is a local anesthetic drug of the amino ester group. It is used primarily to reduce the pain of intramuscular injection of penicillin, and it was also used in dentistry. Owing to the ubiquity of the trade name Novocain, in some regions procaine is referred to generically as novocaine. It acts mainly by being a sodium channel blocker.

Procaine was first synthesized in 1905, shortly after amylocaine, and is the oldest man-made local anesthetic still in clinical use for injection. It was created by the German chemist Alfred Einhorn who gave the chemical the trade name Novocaine, from the Latin ''nov-'' (meaning ''new'') and ''-caine'', a common ending for alkaloids used as anesthetics. It was introduced into medical use by surgeon Heinrich Braun. Prior to the discovery of Stovaine and Novocaine, cocaine was the most commonly used local anesthetic. Procaine is used less frequently today since more effective (and hypoallergenic) alternatives such as lidocaine (Xylocaine) exist. Like other local anesthetics (such as mepivacaine, and prilocaine), procaine is a vasodilator, and is often coadministered with epinephrine for the purpose of vasoconstriction. Vasoconstriction helps to reduce bleeding and prevents the drug from reaching systemic circulation in large amounts. Also unlike cocaine, procaine does not have the euphoric and addictive qualities that put it at risk for abuse. Cocaine is also not a vasodilator.

Procaine, an ester anesthetic, is metabolized in the plasma by the enzyme pseudocholinesterase through hydrolysis into para-amino benzoic acid (PABA), which is then excreted by the kidneys into the urine. Allergic reactions to procaine are usually not in response to procaine itself, but to PABA. About 1 in 3000 people have an atypical form of pseudocholinesterase, which does not hydrolyze ester anesthetics such as procaine, resulting in a prolonged period of high levels of the anesthetic in the blood and increased toxicity.

Procaine is the primary ingredient in the controversial preparation Gerovital H3 by Ana Aslan (Romania), which is claimed by its advocates to remedy many effects of aging. The mainstream medical view is that these claims were seriously studied and discredited in the 1960s.

1% Procaine injection has been recommended for the treatment of extravasation complications associated with venipuncture (along with moist heat, ASA, steroids, antibiotics). It has likewise been recommended for treatment of inadvertent intra-arterial injections (10mL of 1% procaine) as it helps relieve pain and vascular spasm.

Procaine is occasionally added as an additive in illicit street drugs such as cocaine. It is also used by professional dominatrices to enhance BDSM play.

Chemistry

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Further reading

Category:Dental equipment Category:Local anesthetics Category:1905 introductions Category:Benzoates Category:Anilines

Ana Aslan (; 1 January 1897, in Brăila – 20 May 1988, in Bucharest) was a Romanian biologist and physician of Armenian origin. She is considered to be a founding figure of gerontology and geriatrics in Romania. In 1952, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ana Aslan, the Geriatric Institute in Bucharest was founded. This Institute was the first of its kind in Romania and was recognized by the World Health Organization.

The remainder of this page concerns a product marketed by Aslan. A mild review of biomedical research literature shows no empirical or peer-reviewed evidence in English that this product prevents or postpones any aspect of aging.

The Gerovital H3 concept was introduced for the first time in 1957, in Verona, Italy, on the occasion of the 4th International Gerontology Congress. Many scientists from the USA , Germany , England, Japan, Italy, Austria and Romania have studied and confirmed the effects of the Gerovital H3 treatment suggested by Prof. Dr. Ana Aslan. In the 60’s the Gerovital H3 treatment became viewed by many to be a scientific certitude (which, readers should note, is an oxymoron, though certainly pedantic enough to appear credible to consumers), a high value anti-aging treatment.

Notables such as French President Charles De Gaulle, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong, and Vietnamese Chairman Ho Chi Minh traveled to Romania to attempt to benefit from this anti-aging therapy. Other well-known people, including actresses Marlene Dietrich, Lillian Gish, the Gabor sisters, actors Charlie Chaplin and Kirk Douglas, and artist Salvador Dalí followed the same path.. Once discovered by these celebrities, Gerovital itself became famous and is now used in over twenty countries around the world for its claimed anti-aging properties.

Ana Aslan’s research activity received many international distinctions, for example:

The Gerovital H3 was claimed to be a revolutionary medicine and many people are trying nowadays to profit from its name by marketing derivative drugs.

Counter arguments to the positive effects of the drug are often based on the fact that drugs containing procaine, as does the original GH3, are not approved by the FDA.

Besides the Gerovital H3 Medicine, Ana Aslan also developed Anti Aging cosmetics lines. The original recipes for the preparation of the cosmetics are still respected today by Farmec (Romanian Company), which received the rights from Ana Aslan to produce the Gerovital cosmetics.

The Gerovital cosmetics products include several lines for skin care, hair care, eye care etc. Some of the cosmetics lines produced by Farmec from the original Ana Aslan recipes are: Gerovital H3, Gerovital Plant and Aslavital.

The Cosmetics do not have anything to do with the procaine drugs, are made of natural plant extracts, produced to high quality standards and are generally approved. (also by the FDA)

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Category:1897 births Category:1988 deaths Category:People from Brăila Category:Romanian Academy Category:Romanian scientists Category:Romanian biologists Category:Romanian physicians Category:Women biologists Category:Romanian inventors Category:Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany