Drugs Acting on Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system is largely distributed throughout the body and controls the autonomic and visceral functions, which occur without consciousness. In periphery, it contains nerves, ganglia, and plexuses, which innervate the heart, blood vessels, glands, smooth muscle, and other visceral organs. The concept of neuronal transmission was developed to demonstrate the presence of physiologically active molecules and transmission of neuronal impulses from the postganglionic nerve fibres to the effector cells. The transmission of neuromodulators including the biogenic amine, an amino acid, or a peptide occurs, which affects the synthesis and release of neurotransmitter by acting on presynaptic neurons. The pharmacotherapies used in autonomic complications exert their pharmacological action by modulating the critical phases of neuronal transmission. Therefore, in this article we discussed about the autonomic neurohumoral transmission, the synthesis, storage, release of transmitter and drug acting on parasympathetic and sympathetic autonomic nervous system. The drug used in different autonomic complications including glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer’s disease is discussed. Furthermore, the receptors involved in autonomic cholinergic, adrenergic, and ganglionic agonist as well as antagonists are also demonstrated.