The key difference between caffeine theobromine and theophylline is that caffeine is more easily absorbed and has a shorter half-life of 5 hours, and theobromine is weakly absorbed with a moderate half-life of 7 – 12 hours, whereas theophylline is highly absorbed and has comparatively a longer half-life of 8 hours.
Caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline are types of xanthine alkaloids. In this article, we will compare these three compounds.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Caffeine
3. What is Theobromine
4. What is Theophylline
5. Caffeine vs Theobromine vs Theophylline in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Caffeine vs Theobromine vs Theophylline
What is Caffeine?
Caffeine is a stimulant that can affect the central nervous system. It belongs to the methylxanthine class. We can introduce it as the most consumed psychoactive drug in the world. It is different from many other similar drugs because it is legal and unregulated almost all over the world. There are some known mechanisms of action for this drug. Among these mechanisms, the most common one is the reversible blocking action of the adenosine on its receptors and the consequent prevention of the onset of drowsiness that is induced by adenosine. Moreover, this drug stimulates certain portions of the autonomic nervous system.
Figure 01: The Chemical Structure of Caffeine
When considering the properties of caffeine, it is bitter tasting, and it is a white crystalline purine. Moreover, caffeine is a methylxanthine alkaloid that is chemically close to the adenosine and guanine bases of DNA and RNA. We can find this compound in seeds, fruits, nuts, and leaves of some plants. Caffeine tends to protect these plant parts against herbivores.
There are many uses of caffeine, including medical uses such as treating Bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants, Apnea of prematurity, Orthostatic hypotension treatment, enhancing the performance of the central nervous system, etc.
What is Theobromine?
Theobromine is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, and it has the chemical formula C7H8N4O2. We can find this substance in chocolates and in many other food items as well. The other foods include leaves of tea plants and kola nuts. We can describe it as a xanthine alkaloid. Other names for this substance include xantheose, diurobromine, and 3,7-dimethylxanthine.
Figure 01: The Chemical Structure of Theobromine
Although its name has the word bromine, this substance does not contain bromine. The name theobromine is derived from Theobroma, which is the name of the genus of the cacao tree.
Theobromine is a slightly water-soluble substance and is a crystalline, bitter powder. It appears in white or colorless crystals, but commercially available forms can appear in yellowish color. Theobromine can be named as an isomer of theophylline. Moreover, it is an isomer of paraxanthine.
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 the 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 its 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, diarrhea, increased heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms, etc.
What is the Difference Between Caffeine Theobromine and Theophylline?
The key difference between caffeine theobromine and theophylline is that caffeine is more easily absorbed and has a shorter half-life of 5 hours, and theobromine is weakly absorbed with a moderate half-life of 7 – 12 hours, whereas theophylline is highly absorbed and has comparatively a longer half-life of 8 hours.
The below infographic presents the differences between caffeine theobromine and theophylline in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Caffeine vs Theobromine vs Theophylline
Caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline are types of xanthine alkaloids. The key difference between caffeine theobromine and theophylline is that caffeine is more easily absorbed and has a shorter half-life of 5 hours, and theobromine is weakly absorbed with a moderate half-life of 7 – 12 hours, whereas theophylline is highly absorbed and has comparatively a longer half-life of 8 hours.
Reference:
1. “Theophylline: Medlineplus Drug Information.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Theobromine” By Harbin – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Caffeine structure” By Vaccinationist – Own work, based on PubChem (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia