[Antihypoxants in current clinical practice]

Hypoxia is a universal process accompanying and determining the development of various pathological conditions. In the most general form hypoxia can be defined as the incompatibility between energy requirements of the cell and energy production in the system of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. The energetic status of the cell can be improved by such pharmacological products as antihypoxants of 5 groups: inhibitors of fatty acid oxidation, succinate-containing and succinate-producing agents, components of the natural respiratory chain, artificial redox-systems, and macroergic compounds. This paper is focused on the mechanisms of action of these products, their major effects, and results of clinical studies. Special emphasis is laid on succinate-containing products combining properties of a balanced polyionic solution and an antihypoxant (reamberin, cytoflavin, remaxol). They are known to be effective against various pathological conditions including ischemic stroke, toxic, hypoxic and dyscirculatory encephalopathies, infectious diseases, posthypoxic lesions in the central nervous system of newborns, various intoxications), etc.