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The Sound of Evolution
Ethacrynic acid
Mechanism of action:
Ethacrynic acid is a loop diuretic. Its diuretic effect occurs in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle in the kidney, where it inhibits the Na⁺/K⁺/2Cl⁻ transporter 2 (NKCC2). Under normal conditions, NKCC2 is responsible for reabsorbing sodium, potassium, and chloride ions from the tubular lumen back into the cell. By inhibiting this transporter, ethacrynic acid markedly decreases NaCl reabsorption, causing large amounts of water to be excreted along with sodium.
Reference(s):
1. Bowes TJ et al. (2005). Induction of mitochondrial fusion by cysteine-alkylators ethacrynic acid and N-ethylmaleimide. J Cell Physiol.
2. Chen X et al. (2002). TTD: Therapeutic Target Database. Nucleic Acids Res.
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