Phenelzine (PLZ) is a monoamine oxidase (MAO)-inhibiting antidepressant with anxiolytic properties. This multifaceted drug has a number of pharmacological and neurochemical effects in addition to inhibition of MAO, and findings on these effects have contributed to a body of evidence indicating that PLZ also has neuroprotective/neurorescue properties. These attributes are reviewed in this paper and include catabolism to the active metabolite β-phenylethylidenehydrazine (PEH) and effects of PLZ and PEH on the GABA-glutamate balance in brain, sequestration of reactive aldehydes, and inhibition of primary amine oxidase. Also discussed are the encouraging findings of the effects of PLZ in animal models of stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis, as well other actions such as reduction of nitrative stress, reduction of the effects of a toxin on dopaminergic neurons, potential anticonvulsant actions, and effects on brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neural cell adhesion molecules, an anti-apoptotic factor, and brain levels of ornithine and N-acetylamino acids.

苯乙肼 (PLZ) 是一种单胺氧化酶 (MAO) 抑制抗抑郁药，具有抗焦虑特性。除了抑制 MAO 外，这种多方面的药物还具有许多药理学和神经化学作用，并且对这些作用的发现有助于提供大量证据表明 PLZ 还具有神经保护/神经拯救特性。本文回顾了这些属性，包括分解代谢为活性代谢物 β-苯乙叉肼 (PEH) 以及 PLZ 和 PEH 对大脑中 GABA-谷氨酸平衡、活性醛的螯合和伯胺氧化酶抑制的影响。还讨论了 PLZ 在中风、脊髓损伤、创伤性脑损伤和多发性硬化动物模型中的影响的令人鼓舞的发现，以及其他作用，如减少硝化应激，N-乙酰氨基酸。