Dinoprostone is a prostaglandin used to induce labor or abortion as well as to treat nonmetastatic gestational trophoblastic disease. Dinoprostone is a naturally occurring prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).
- Mechanism
- Curator reviewed
Dinoprostone administered intravaginally stimulates the myometrium of the gravid uterus to contract in a manner that is similar to the contractions seen in the term uterus during labor, resulting in the evacuation of the products of conception from the uterus. It is believed that dinoprostone exerts its uterine effects via direct myometrial stimulation, but the exact mechanism of action is unkown. Other suggested mechanisms include the regulation of cellular membrane calcium transport and of intracellular concentrations of cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate. Dinoprostone also appears to produce local cervical effects including softening, effacement, and dilation. The exact mechanism of action for this effect is also unknown, but it has been suggested that this effect may be associated with collagen degradation caused by secretion of the enzyme collagenase as a partial response to locally administered dinoprostone.
- Primary indication
- For the termination of pregnancy during the second trimester (from the 12th through the 20th gestational week as calculated from the first day of the last normal menstrual period), as well as for evacuation of...Curator reviewed · 6 structured indications
- Formula / weight
- C20H32O5 · 352.4651 g/mol (avg)
- First approval
- Canada, 1997 · United States, 1978
- Also known as
- (15S)-prostaglandin E2 · PGE-2 · PGE2 · Prostaglandin E2
- Code names
- U-12,062
- Brand names
Resolves to
XEYBRNLFEZDVAW-ARSRFYASSA-NSMILESCCCCC[C@H](O)\C=C\[C@H]1[C@H](O)CC(=O)[C@@H]1C\C=C/CCCC(O)=OWhat you can answer from here — as of September 23, 2026
Which drugs share a target with Dinoprostone, and which of those have an active Phase 3 trial?
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