Captopril
chemical compound: ACE inhibitor

Captopril, sold under the brand name Capoten among others, is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used for the treatment of hypertension and some types of congestive heart failure. Captopril was the first oral ACE inhibitor found for the treatment of hypertension. It does not cause fatigue as associated with beta-blockers.
Captopril was patented in 1976 and approved for medical use in 1980.
Structure–activity relationship
Captopril has an L-proline group which allows it to be more bioavailable in oral formulations. The thiol moiety within the molecule has been associated with two significant adverse effects: the hapten or immune response. This immune response, also known as agranulocytosis, can explain the adverse drug events which may be seen in captopril with the allergic response which includes hives, severe stomach pain, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat.
In terms of interaction with the enzyme, the molecule's thiol moiety will attach to the binding site of the ACE enzyme. This will inhibit the port at which the angiotensin-1 molecule would normally bind, therefore inhibiting the downstream effects within the renin-angiotensin system.
Medical uses
Captopril's main uses are based on its vasodilation and inhibition of some renal function activities.
The public source identifies “Captopril” as chemical compound: ACE inhibitor. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Captopril, chemical and compound.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q421119. The Library of Congress control number is sh85020024. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1976 and 1980.
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This entry incorporates text from “Captopril” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.