Procaine

Procaine is a local anesthetic drug of the amino ester group. It is most commonly used in dental procedures to numb the area around a tooth^[1] and is also used to reduce the pain of intramuscular injection of penicillin. Owing to the ubiquity of the trade name Novocain (without the "e" in the original German patent) or Novocaine (with the "e" in the US patent), in some regions, procaine is referred to generically as novocaine. It acts mainly as a sodium channel blocker.^[2] Today, it is used therapeutically in some countries due to its sympatholytic, anti-inflammatory, perfusion-enhancing, and mood-enhancing effects.^[3]

Procaine was first synthesized in 1905,^[4] shortly after amylocaine.^[5] It was created by the chemist Alfred Einhorn who gave the chemical the trade name Novocain, from the Latin nov- (meaning "new") and -caine, a common ending for alkaloids used as anesthetics. It was introduced into medical use by surgeon Heinrich Braun.

Prior to the discovery of amylocaine and procaine, cocaine was a commonly used local anesthetic.^[6] Einhorn wished his new discovery to be used for amputations, but for this surgeons preferred general anesthesia. Dentists, however, found it very useful.^[7]