Cinnarizine (CNZ)

Cinnarizine is a drug derivative of piperazine, and characterized as an antihistamine and a calcium channel blocker, it is also known to promote cerebral blood flow, and so is used to treat cerebral apoplexy, post-trauma cerebral symptoms, and cerebral arteriosclerosis.Cinnarizine is classified as a selective antagonist of T-type voltage-operated calcium ion channels, because its binding blocks the channels and keeps them inert. It is also known to have antihistaminic, antiserotoninergic and antidopaminergic effects, binding to H1 histamine receptors, and dopaminergic (D2) receptors. In treatment of nausea and motion sickness it was previously hypothesized that cinnarizine exerts its effects by inhibiting the calcium currents in voltage gated channels in type II vestibular hair cells within the inner ear. Cinnarizine has also been found to be a valuable second-line treatment for idiopathic urticarial vasculitis.