Guanadrel is a postganglionic adrenergic blocking agent. Uptake of guanadrel and storage in sympathetic neurons occurs via the norepinephrine pump or transporter. Guanadrel slowly displaces norepinephrine from its storage in nerve endings and thereby blocks the release of norepinephrine normally produced by nerve stimulation. The reduction in neurotransmitter release in response to sympathetic nerve stimulation, as a result of catecholamine depletion, leads to reduced arteriolar vasoconstriction, especially the reflex increase in sympathetic tone that occurs with a change in position. Guanadrel is used to treat and control hypertension.

Bethanidine is a post-ganglionic adrenergic neurone-blocking agent which exerts a marked postural hypotensive effect. The precise mechanism whereby bethanidine causes blockade of adrenergic neurones is unknown. An initial sympathomimetic effect has been demonstrated in man and animals, possibly due to release of catecholamines.

Guanethidine belongs to the general class of medicines called antihypertensives. It was used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It is believed to act mainly by preventing the release of norepinephrine at nerve endings and causes depletion of norepinephrine in peripheral sympathetic nerve terminals as well as in tissues. It is taken up by norepinephrine transporters. It becomes concentrated in NE transmitter vesicles, replacing NE in these vesicles.

Guanidine is a small basic compound. Guanidine stimulates the neuromuscular junction presynaptically by inhibiting voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels, leading to the enhanced release of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft. This stimulatory effect of guanidine underlies its use in the therapy for the neuromuscular diseases. The hydrochloride salt of guanidine was approved by FDA for the reduction of the symptoms of muscle weakness and easy fatigability associated with the myasthenic syndrome of Eaton-Lambert.

Leonurine (LN) is a natural alkaloid extracted from Herba leonuri which is used in Chinese traditional medicine and possesses anti-inflammatory properties. Leonurine has potential as a therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis and might be a promising therapeutic compound to treat osteoclast-related diseases, such as osteoporosis. These effects are achieved through the inhibition of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. In addition, it was found that leonurine protects BBB integrity by regulating the HDAC4/NOX4/MMP-9 tight junction pathway and could therfeore represent a new class of potential drugs against the acute onset of ischemic stroke. In experiments on mice with adenomyosis leonurine attenuated generalized hyperalgesia, however, the mechanism responsible for alleviating pain was not readily apparent.

Biguanide has been investigated for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus. The term "biguanidine" often refers specifically to a class of drugs that have a broad range of medical indications. Besides recent experiments have shown that biguanide could be a modifiable pharmacophore for the synthesis of therapeutic cysteinyl cathepsins inhibitors with a wide range of potencies and specificities. It is known that excessive activities of cysteinyl cathepsins contribute to the progress of many diseases.

Arpromidine is a potent histamine H2-receptor agonist and weak NPY Y1 antagonist. In the isolated aperfused heart, arpromidine was more potent in increasing cardiac contractile force and coronary flow but less effective on heart rate and less arrhythmogenic. Arpromidine may be considered a new lead for the development of "cardiohistaminergics". In the arpromidine series the order of potency found in guinea-pig atria was in good agreement with the results from isolated perfused guinea-pig hearts. In particular, the two-fold halogenated arpromidine analogues proved to be more potent positive inotropic agents than impromidine with lower stimulating effects on heart rate and reduced arrhythmogenic properties.

Adrenochrome monoaminoguanidine (S-Adchnon) is a hemostatic capillary-stabilizing agent demonstrating pharmacological effects against radiation injury by reducing side effects of radiation therapy on hematopoietic organ. Synthesized by a dehydrating reaction of adrenochrome and aminoguanidine it has superior properties than adrenochrome, an oxidation product of adrenalin remarkable for its efficiency as a haemostatic agent at very small doses and for its more rapid and equally intense action than that of adrenalin. Adrenochrome does not alter the cardiac rhythm and does not cause any hypertension or internal haemorrhages and would be suitable for therapeutic applications, however, its instability, in aqueous or alcoholic solution, makes its use substantially impossible. S-Adchnon was devised, approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in 1962 and used widely in Japan. Adrenochrome monoaminoguanidine has negligible toxicity, stable and could be made into salts for aqueous dosage, especially for injection. Adrenochrome monoaminoguanidine methanesulfonate (AMM) enhances the recovery from radiation-induced leukopenia in rabbits and in humans, and inhibits the increases in chromosome aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes of patients with cervical carcinoma under radiotherapy. It has been shown that the radiation-induced initial decrease in number of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) is not affected by AMM, but recovery from the decrease is enhanced, shortening the period of leukopenia. This suggests that AMM may not exert its effects by protecting PBL directly but by protecting stem and/or progenitor cells in hematogenesis which proliferate and differentiate to PBL after irradiation. In in vitro colony formation method AMM demonstrated a protective effect on the survival of GM-CFC, a hematopoietic progenitor cells. Differential action on cancer and normal tissue by AMM and cytochrome C combined with radiotherapy was demonstrated. AMM in combination with cytochrome C augumented natural killer (NK) cells activity in KSN nude mice, protected potent NK cells in patients with lung cancer against radiotherapy and sensitized the human lung cancer xenografts to radiotherapy. Thus, AMM and cytochrome C may have the potential as a differential modulator of radiosensitivity of normal tissues and of tumors.