Phenserine Uses, Dosage, Side Effects and more

Phenserine is under development by Axonyx, a US biopharmaceutical company that focuses on treatments for dementia. Phenserine is a next generation acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of AD. Unlike currently marketed AChE inhibitors, it has a dual mechanism of action that also includes anti-amyloid activity, which may confer disease-modifying effects in patients with AD. If this is substantiated in an ongoing clinical trial then phenserine may open the door to an entirely new type of treatment for AD. Axonyx announced on 20 September 2005 that phenserine was ineffective in two curtailed phase 3 trials.

Phenserine, a phenylcarbamate of physostigmine, is a reversible acetyl-selective cholinesterase inhibitor. In studies of rats with lesions of the forebrain cholinergic system, injections of phenserine was found to significantly decrease the levels of secreted beta-APP in the CSF of the rats. A study on cultured human brain cells found that phenserine reduces Abeta levels by regulating beta-APP translation.

Trade Name	Phenserine
Generic	Phenserine
Type
Formula	C₂₀H₂₃N₃O₂
Weight	Average: 337.4155 Monoisotopic: 337.179026995
Groups	Investigational
Therapeutic Class
Manufacturer
Available Country
Last Updated:	January 7, 2025 at 1:49 am

Uses

For the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

How Phenserine works

Phenserine is a highly selective, reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, a mechanism of action known to improve memory and cognition in Alzheimer’s subjects. Phenserine may prove to concentrate in the brain rapidly which would reduce the incidence of drug toxicity and side effects.

Toxicity

The toxicity of phenserine, a derivate of physostigmine, is dramatically less. Doses of 20 mg/kg (rats, intravenous) of phenserine have not been associated with toxicity or deaths.