• Hooman Bozorgi, Melika Zamani, Ehsan Motaghi, and Majid Eslami.
• Hooman Bozorgi is with the Department of Pharmacology, Research Center of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran. Melika Zamani is with the Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran/Panzdah-e-Khordad Hospital, Mahdishahr, Iran. Ehsan Motaghi is with the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. Majid Eslami is with Cancer Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
• J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother. 2021 Sep 1; 35 (3): 215-225.

AbstractDexmedetomidine (Dexdor or Precedex®) is considered as a sedative agent which is widely used as an adjuvant in general anesthesia and critical care practice. There is extensive evidence indicating its neuroprotective properties especially in various ischemic and hemorrhagic brain injury models of animals. Clinical trials have shown that dexmedetomidine (DEX) can improve the outcome of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Also, DEX is appropriate as a non-opioid analgesic therapy whenever minimizing opioid-related side effects is necessary. The present article reviews the recent advances in the use of DEX as a neuroprotective agent in both animal and human studies including newest findings about the mechanism of the drug as well as analgesic efficacy of this drug at all perioperative stages. In spite of the beneficial effects of the drug on the nervous system, there are potential adverse effects, such as hypotension and bradycardia, which can be treated pharmacologically and must be taken into consideration by clinicians.

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