top of page
The Sound of Evolution
Alfentanil
Mechanism of action:
Alfentanil is an opioid that binds to μ-opioid receptors in the central nervous system. This suppresses the release of various neurotransmitters, including substance P, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine, thereby blocking pain transmission in the brain and spinal cord, increasing the pain threshold, and reducing the response to pain.
Reference(s):
1. Wandel C et al. (2002). Interaction of morphine, fentanyl, sufentanil, alfentanil, and loperamide with the efflux drug transporter P-glycoprotein. Anesthesiology.
2. Liu T et al. (2025). BindingDB in 2024: a FAIR knowledgebase of protein-small molecule binding data. Nucleic Acids Res.
bottom of page