Skip to content

Drug Design, Development and Therapy

ISSN 1177-8881

26 papers in the library · 542 citations · publishing 2019-2026

Papers

Sort Most recent Most cited

Peripartum Esketamine: A Narrative Review of Analgesia, Postpartum Depressive Symptoms, Sleep-Related Outcomes, and Safety.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy October 17, 2026 Zhaoying Zhong, Baozhen Liao, Donglan Peng et al.

Pain, depressive symptoms, and sleep disruption frequently overlap during the peripartum period, although their relationships are associative rather than established as causal. Esketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, has attracted interest as a peripartum intervention with potential effects on pain, mood, and sleep. This narrative review evaluates the clinical and mechanistic...

Esketamine for Postoperative Anxiety After Major Abdominal Tumor Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Drug Design, Development and Therapy September 1, 2026 Xiaoying Cui, Wutao Chen, Jinyu Wang et al.

Purpose: Postoperative anxiety is common in surgical patients and may impair recovery, especially in the patients with preoperative anxiety. However, effective strategies for treating postoperative anxiety remain limited. We hypothesized that esketamine could reduce postoperative anxiety in patients with preoperative anxiety undergoing major abdominal tumor surgery. Patients and Methods: 180...

A Staged Translational Framework for Evaluating Oral Glutamatergic and Senescence-Modulating Strategies in Treatment-Resistant Depression

Drug Design, Development and Therapy August 1, 2026 Cheung Ngo

Abstract Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is commonly operationalized as non-remission after at least two adequately delivered antidepressant trials, but the biological heterogeneity of this population remains substantial. This article presents a translational hypothesis and drug-development framework; it reports no original clinical or laboratory data and is not a systematic review. The...

Effects of Intraoperative Esketamine–Dexmedetomidine Combination on Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Neuropsychiatric Events Following Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Drug Design, Development and Therapy March 1, 2026 Meng-Meng Li, Qingfeng Wei, Qian-Yun Zhu et al.

Combined low-dose dexmedetomidine and esketamine during cesarean section provides a short-term improvement in early postpartum depressive symptoms, reduces intraoperative neuropsychiatric adverse events, and enhances maternal satisfaction, with a favorable maternal and neonatal safety profile.

DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s587487 (opens in new tab) Major depressive disorder Dexmedetomidine Adverse effect Randomized controlled trial +11

ED95 of Ciprofol Combined with Esketamine or Sufentanil in Elderly Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Dose-Finding and Randomized Controlled Trial

Drug Design, Development and Therapy February 1, 2026 Xiaoxue Qin, Hui Jiang, Yan Xie et al. 1 citation

Background: This study aimed to estimate the 95% effective dose (ED95) of ciprofol when combined with esketamine or sufentanil in elderly patients undergoing endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and to explore the associated clinical and safety profiles of these sedation strategies. Methods: This study was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, 44 patients aged 65– 80 years undergoing ESD were...

DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s595458 (opens in new tab) Ketamine Sufentanil Anesthesia Randomized controlled trial +7

Next-Generation Pharmacotherapy for Depressive Disorders: From Novel Compounds to Optimized Use of Available Drugs.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2026 Fan Bu, Lan Qin, Zhengchi Lou et al.

Depressive disorders remain a major source of disability worldwide, and many patients do not achieve sustained remission despite the availability of multiple antidepressant options. Unmet needs are particularly evident in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and bipolar depression, where delayed onset of action, incomplete response, relapse, residual functional impairment, and tolerability...

Investigation of Esketamine Administration During Surgical Procedures for the Alleviation of Postoperative Anxiety and Depression in Adolescent Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2026 Yanhong Li, Kuangyu Zhao, Peipei Cao et al.

Surgical stress can lead to postoperative anxiety and depression, especially in adolescents. These complications reduce quality of life and increase medical burdens, but perioperative psychological interventions for adolescents are limited, and related mechanisms remain unclear. Esketamine (S-ketamine), an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, has analgesic, sedative,...

Bolus versus Continuous Infusion of Esketamine for Prevention of Postpartum Depression After Caesarean Delivery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2026 Jie Yang, Qiqi Yan, Ting Zhang et al.

Esketamine is increasingly being applied for preventing postpartum depression (PPD). However, clinical protocols for this application are inconsistent, particularly concerning the route of administration. The aim was to determine whether esketamine bolus administration differed from continuous infusion in terms of preventing PPD. A total of 503 subjects without prenatal depression undergoing...

DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s601347 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Esketamine Administration route Caesarean section Postpartum depression

Esketamine Attenuates Postoperative Neurocognitive Disorder in Aged Mice: Associations with Bioenergetic Remodeling in Hippocampal CD11b-Enriched Cell Fractions and Glycolysis-Related Signaling.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2026 Di Liu, Guangchun Li, Hui Huang et al.

Postoperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is a clinically important complication in older surgical patients. Microglial inflammatory activation is frequently accompanied by altered cellular metabolism, but whether esketamine-associated neuroprotection is accompanied by bioenergetic changes in hippocampal CD11b-enriched cell fractions remains incompletely understood. A tibial fracture model...

Effects of Continuous Perioperative Esketamine Infusion on Postoperative Depression in Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Double-Blind Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy October 29, 2025 Mengting Shen, Ye Xuan, Kaiyu Chen et al.

Background: Comorbid depressive symptoms are prevalent in patients with breast cancer, which adversely impacts postoperative recovery outcomes. Esketamine has emerged as a promising intervention for perioperative depression due to its rapid and sustained effects. This study aims to investigate the impact of the continuous intravenous infusion of esketamine during the perioperative period on...

Effects of Esketamine on Postoperative Delirium and Postoperative Cognitive Function in Elderly Gastrointestinal Tumor Patients with Preoperative Anxiety

Drug Design, Development and Therapy October 1, 2025 Jin Zha, Hao Chen, Zijie Sun et al. 4 citations

In elderly patients with preoperative anxiety who undergo gastrointestinal tumor surgery, administering a low-dose intravenous esketamine injection (0.25 mg/kg) during anesthesia induction can decrease the incidence of POD and improve early postoperative cognitive function.

Effect of Intraoperative Intravenous Infusion of Esketamine Combined with Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Sleep Disturbance in Patients Undergoing Radical Mastectomy.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2025 Xingyu Geng, Yutian Pu, Ziwei Hu et al. 7 citations

Postoperative sleep disturbance(POSD) is a problem in breast cancer patients after surgery. Little is known about the differences in the treatment of POSD with esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine under the same circumstances. We investigated the effects of intraoperative esketamine combined with intravenous dexmedetomidine on the incidence of POSD and postoperative sleep architecture. A...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S510222 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Esketamine Dexmedetomidine Sleep disturbance Sleep medicine +4

Comparison of Esketamine/Propofol and Sufentanil/Propofol on Intraoperative Hypoxemia During Bronchoscopy: A Randomized Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2025 Xiao Huang, Xueyang Li, Yuan Sun et al. 5 citations

Propofol and sufentanil are the most commonly used anesthetics during bronchoscopy. Esketamine is an s-enantiomer of ketamine racemate and has both sedative and analgesic effects, it does not inhibit respiration and maintains hemodynamic stability. We aimed to compare the intraoperative hypoxemia risk of esketamine/propofol with sufentanil/propofol for patients in bronchoscopy. This study was...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S490423 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Propofol Sufentanil Bronchoscopy/endoscopy/respiratory procedures Sedation/anesthesia/procedural sedation +2

Feasibility of Closed-Loop TCI Based on New EEG Baseline in the Presence of Low Dose of Esketamine: A Randomized Controlled Equivalence Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2025 Xiaoshan Li, Shengchao Li, Chanyan Xu et al. 3 citations

This research aimed to quantify the impact of low dose of esketamine on BIS and validate the feasibility of closed-loop TCI system based on the new BIS baseline with low dose of esketamine. This study consisted of two phases. The first phase was to quantify the impact of a low dose of esketamine (0.2mg kg-1 bolus, 5μg kg-1 min-1 infusion for 30min) on BIS and establish a new BIS baseline for...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S508264 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Esketamine Closed-loop controlled system Depth of anesthesia New bis baseline +6

Effects of Esketamine Versus Remifentanil on Hemodynamics and Prognosis in Patients with Septic Shock Receiving Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2025 Yuting Li, Hongxiang Li, Feng Zhang et al. 3 citations

Analgesics and sedatives may affect the hemodynamics of patients with septic shock and produce adverse reactions. The purpose of this study is to compare the hemodynamic effects and prognosis of esketamine and remifentanil in combination with propofol in patients with septic shock receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. In this single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled pilot study,...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S520252 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Esketamine Critical care medicine Invasive mechanical ventilation Norepinephrine +4

The Impact of Intranasal Esketamine on Emergence Agitation in Children Undergoing Adenotonsillectomy: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2025 Jiajia Li, Gaili Jia, Ruixian Wang et al.

To investigate the efficacy of intranasal esketamine in reducing the incidence of emergence agitation (EA) in pediatric patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy and to determine the optimal dose of esketamine. A total of 204 children aged 3-6 years scheduled for adenotonsillectomy were randomly assigned to three groups. All participants received a standardized anesthetic induction protocol....

DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s553693 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Adenotonsillectomy Children Emergence agitation Intranasal esketamine +1

Effect of Esketamine Compared with Sufentanil Combined with Propofol in Patients Undergoing First Trimester Surgical Abortion: A Randomized, Double-Blinded Clinical Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2025 Yingchao Guan, Haochen Wang, Xiaojing Cong et al.

We explored whether esketamine anesthesia during first-trimester surgical abortion can reduce intraoperative hemodynamic fluctuations and improve patients' respiratory function. A total of 197 patients who underwent a first-trimester surgical abortion were included in the analysis. Patients were randomly assigned to either the esketamine anesthesia group (group E, n=98) or sufentanil anesthesia...

Effect of Low-Dose Esketamine on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2024 Chao-Bang Ma, Cheng-Yang Zhang, Cai-Li Gou et al. 27 citations

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a prevalent and severe complication in elderly patients undergoing major surgery, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects of low-dose esketamine on the incidence of POD in elderly patients underwent total hip or knee arthroplasty. Two hundred and sixty elderly participants were randomly...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S477342 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Aged Delirium Pain management Elderly care +6

The Promise of Therapeutic Psilocybin: An Evaluation of the 134 Clinical Trials, 54 Potential Indications, and 0 Marketing Approvals on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2024 Sarah A Norring, Michael G Spigarelli 22 citations

Psilocybin, a tryptamine psychedelic, has been touted in the media both historically and recently as a potential game-changing mental health therapeutic. ClinicalTrials.gov has over one hundred and thirty psilocybin clinical trials listed covering the last twenty years. The single most important aspect of any therapeutic is to gain approval for marketing and thus enter the real-world phase of...

Comparative Analysis of Hemodynamic Effects of Remimazolam and Propofol Combined with Esketamine in Colonoscopic Procedures in the Elderly.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2024 Bo-Ran Deng, Yang Zhang, Zi-Feng Xie et al. 18 citations

The debate continues over the differential impact of remimazolam vs propofol on hemodynamic stability. This study aims to elucidate the effects of a combination of remimazolam and esketamine vs propofol and esketamine on hemodynamic parameters in elderly patients undergoing painless colonoscopies. We conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 754 patients, divided equally between two...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S490179 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Esketamine Elderly patients Hemodynamic effects Remimazolam +5

Comparison Between Esketamine and Alfentanil for Hysteroscopy: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2024 Mengcao Weng, Dongdong Wang, Jia Zhong et al. 17 citations

This study aimed to establish the 95% effective dose (ED95) of esketamine in combination with propofol for hysteroscopy and then to evaluate its efficacy and safety profile. This prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial consisted of two cohorts. In cohort 1, 45 women aged 18-65 years undergoing hysteroscopy were randomly assigned to either group E (esketamine + propofol) or group...

Intranasal Dexmedetomidine-Esketamine Combination Premedication versus Monotherapy for Reducing Emergence Delirium and Postoperative Behavioral Changes in Pediatric Tonsillectomy and/or Adenoidectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2024 Yanling Liao, Siyu Xie, Yifen Zhuo et al. 14 citations

Emergence delirium and postoperative negative behavioral changes (PNBC) are common complications in pediatric anesthesia. This study evaluated whether intranasal premedication combining dexmedetomidine and esketamine more effectively reduces these complications compared to either drug alone in children undergoing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy with sevoflurane anesthesia. This randomized,...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S488706 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Esketamine Adenoidectomy Dexmedetomidine Emergence delirium +9

Preoperative Anxiety's Impact on the Median Effective Dose of Esketamine for Alleviating Propofol Injection Pain in Patients Undergoing Painless abortion: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2024 Yanping Shen, Lijun Yin, Binnan Hu et al. 7 citations

Propofol injection pain (PIP) is a frequent adverse effect during anesthesia induction, impacting patient comfort and satisfaction. Esketamine has been shown to alleviate PIP, but the optimal dose, especially in relation to preoperative anxiety levels, remains unclear. Preoperative anxiety may heighten pain perception and influence analgesic requirements. A randomized, double-blind, controlled...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S482019 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Esketamine Dose-response Painless abortion Preoperative anxiety +6

Effect of Pretreatment with a Small Dose of Esketamine on Myoclonus Induced by Etomidate: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2024 Liangliang Gao, Xinyu Lu, Aiping Tan et al. 3 citations

Etomidate has been observed to precipitate myoclonus in patients undergoing induction of general anaesthesia. This study was designed to investigate the effect of pretreatment with a small dose of esketamine on the incidence of myoclonus induced by etomidate. One hundred adult patients, who were scheduled to undergo selective operations with general anesthesia, were randomly divided into two...

DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S495130 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Etomidate Anesthesia Muscle disorders myoclonus Spasms +5

Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Esketamine in Chinese Patients Undergoing Painless Gastroscopy in Comparison with Ketamine: A Randomized, Open-Label Clinical Study

Drug Design, Development and Therapy December 1, 2019 Jing Wang, Jie Huang, Shuang Yang et al. 214 citations

Purpose: To assess the pharmacokinetics and safety of pure S-ketamine (esketamine) in Chinese patients undergoing painless gastroscopy and evaluate the potential advantage of esketamine in clinical treatment compared with racemate ketamine hydrochloride injection. Patients and methods: A randomized, open-label, parallel-controlled, Phase I study was performed with 32 patients undergoing...

DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s224553 (opens in new tab) Ketamine Pharmacokinetics Anesthesia Adverse effect +3