MOLECULE

4-pyridinamine

4-Aminopyridine (4-AP, fampridine, dalfampridine) is an organic compound with the chemical formula C5H4N–NH2. The molecule is one of the three isomeric amines of pyridine. 4-Aminopyridine is an aromatic amine, constituted by a pyridine ring system, bearing a single amino substituent at position 4. 4-Aminopyridine is a potassium channel blocker used clinically to help multiple sclerosis patients walk. After a phase III trial, a 25 % improvement in walking speed and increased muscular strength was reported in multiple sclerosis patients (PMID: 24587826). It is also widely used as a research tool for the characterization of subtypes of the potassium channel (PMID: 31919372). The production of 4-aminopyridine begins with the ammoxidation of 4-methylpyridine, followed by obtainment of the nitrile. The nitrile is then used to generate the pyridine carboxamide, which undergoes a decarboxylation reaction to yield 4-aminopyridine (https://doi.org/10.1002/14356007.a22_399). 4-Aminopyridine has also been detected as one of the volatile components in marijuana samples obtained during police seizures (PMID:26657499).