Small molecule
PubChem CID 3440
Furosemide
Lasix
- Mechanism of action
- Loop diuretic (Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter inhibitor)
- In plain language
- Blocks a salt-reabsorbing pump in a specific part of the kidney, so more salt and water pass out as urine instead of being pulled back into the blood, easing fluid buildup.
- How it works
- Furosemide is a loop diuretic that inhibits sodium and chloride reabsorption at the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle, its primary and most potent site of action, with lesser additional effects in the proximal and distal tubules. This action is independent of any inhibitory effect on carbonic anhydrase or aldosterone, distinguishing its mechanism from other diuretic classes. Because the loop of Henle normally reabsorbs a large share of filtered sodium, blocking reabsorption there produces a larger, faster natriuresis and diuresis than thiazide diuretics, which act only at the distal tubule. Onset is within about an hour of an oral dose, with peak effect in the first to second hour and a duration of roughly 6 to 8 hours.
- Therapeutic applications
- Indicated for the treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and renal disease including nephrotic syndrome, and for the treatment of hypertension in adults, alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents.
- Class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Cardiovascular
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