Application

N-Acetylprocainamide hydrochloride may be used:

as an internal standard for spiking plasma samples for ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD) analysis
to test its relaxant effect on tracheal smooth muscle tissue preparations
in preparation of complexes with N-acetyl-L-tyrosine methyl ester and N-acetyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester for studying intermolecular interactions using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy studies

N-Acetylprocainamide hydrochloride is a class III antiarrhythmic compound. N-Acetylprocainamide hydrochloride has been used in a study to determine the disposition of procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide in protein-calorie malnutrition. N-Acetylprocainamide hydrochloride has also been used to study pharmacokinetics of procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide in rats.

Biochem/physiol Actions

N-acetyltransferase II in liver catalyzes the conversion of procainamide to N-acetylprocainamide (NAPA).

Class III antiarrhythmic. Increases the duration of the action potential by decreasing the delayed outward potassium current, slightly decreasing the calcium current, and slightly depressing the inward rectifier potassium current. This is the active metabolite of procainamide that does not induce systemic lupus erythematosus.