Propofol

Propofol
Ball-and-stick model of propofol
Clinical data
Trade namesDiprivan, others
Other names2,6-Diisopropylphenol
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • AU: C
Dependence
liability
Physical: Very high
Psychological: no data
Addiction
liability
Moderate
Routes of
administration
Intravenous
Drug classGABAA receptor agonist;
sedative;
general anesthetic
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
In general: ℞ (Prescription only)
Pharmacokinetic data
Protein binding95–99%
MetabolismLiver glucuronidation
Onset of action
  • Intravenous: 15–30 seconds
Elimination half-life1.5–31 hours
Duration of action~5–10 minutes
ExcretionLiver
Identifiers
  • 2,6-di(propan-2-yl)phenol
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.016.551
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC12H18O
Molar mass178.275 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
Solubility in waterΔGsolvH2O = -4.39kcal/mol
  • CC(C)c1cccc(c1O)C(C)C
  • InChI=1S/C12H18O/c1-8(2)10-6-5-7-11(9(3)4)12(10)13/h5-9,13H,1-4H3 checkY
  • Key:OLBCVFGFOZPWHH-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  (verify)

Propofol is the active component of an intravenous anesthetic used for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Propofol was first marketed under the brand name Diprivan. Intravenous administration is used to induce unconsciousness, after which anesthesia may be maintained using a combination of medications. Propofol is manufactured as part of a sterile injectable emulsion using soybean oil and lecithin, which gives it a white milky color.

Compared to other anesthetics, recovery from propofol-induced anesthesia is generally quick and infrequently associated with such side effects as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting. Propofol may be used before diagnostic procedures requiring anesthesia, in the management of refractory status epilepticus, and for induction or maintenance of anesthesia before and during surgery. It may be administered as a bolus or an infusion, or as a combination of the two.

First synthesized in 1973 by John B. Glen, a British veterinary anesthesiologist working for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI, later AstraZeneca), propofol was introduced for therapeutic use as a lipid emulsion in the United Kingdom and New Zealand in 1986. Propofol (Diprivan) received FDA approval in October 1989. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.