The key difference between theophylline and aminophylline is that theophylline is more potent and longer-acting than aminophylline.
Both theophylline and aminophylline are important as drugs in medical applications. Theophylline is used as a drug for the treatment of diseases in the respiratory tract. Aminophylline is also common as a treatment for airway obstruction from asthma.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Theophylline
3. What is Aminophylline
4. Side by Side Comparison – Theophylline vs Aminophylline in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Theophylline?
Theophylline is a drug we use in treating respiratory diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma. It is a methylxanthine drug that has the chemical name 1,3-dimethylxanthine since it has two methyl groups attached to a xanthine molecule. Due to this reason, this drug falls under the category of xanthine family; thus, the structure is similar to caffeine and theobromine. Moreover, this compound is found in nature as a component of tea and cocoa.
The chemical formula of the compound is C7H8N4O2 while the molar mass is 180.16 g/mol. When considering the medical uses of this compound, it is important in relaxing the bronchial smooth muscle, in increasing the heart rate, in anti-inflammatory effects, in increasing renal blood flow, etc. However, it can be toxic if we don’t monitor the theophylline level in serum. The adverse effects include nausea, diarrhoea, increased heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms, etc.
What is Aminophylline?
Aminophylline is a drug we use to treat asthma or COPD but has low effectiveness than theophylline. The compound has bronchodilator theophylline and ethylenediamine in the ratio 2:1. Usually, we can find this compound in the dehydrated form, and ethylenediamine improves the solubility of this compound. Although both theophylline and aminophylline are important as drugs for the treatment of COPD, aminophylline is less potent and shorter-acting in this role.
Figure 02: Chemical Structure of Aminophylline
The chemical formula of the compound is C16H24N10O4 while the molar mass is 420.42 g/mol. When considering the medical uses, it is important in treating airway obstruction by asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Moreover, it is useful to reverse regadenoson, dipyridamole, preventing slow heart rates, etc. However, this compound can lead to theophylline toxicity.
What is the Difference Between Theophylline and Aminophylline?
Theophylline is a drug we use to treat respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma. In contrast, aminophylline is a drug we use to treat asthma or COPD, but it has low effectiveness than theophylline. Hence, the key difference between theophylline and aminophylline is that theophylline is more potent and longer-acting than aminophylline.
Moreover, the chemical formula of theophylline is C7H8N4O2, and the molar mass is 180.16 g/mol. But for aminophylline, the chemical formula is C16H24N10O4, and the molar mass is 420.42 g/mol. When considering the solubility in water, theophylline is less water-soluble compared to aminophylline. Another difference between theophylline and aminophylline is that the elimination half-life of theophylline is less than that of aminophylline.
Summary – Theophylline vs Aminophylline
Theophylline is a drug we use in treating respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma, while aminophylline is a drug we use in treating asthma or COPD, but it has low effectiveness than theophylline. Hence, the key difference between theophylline and aminophylline is that theophylline is more potent and longer-acting than aminophylline.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Cylmin 100mg by Tsuruhara” By Uploader; Vantey – Photographed by Vantey (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Aminophylline” By Benrr101 – 100% My own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia