Bromocriptine: Past and present : From the In Vitro and In Vivo Experimental Studies to the Clinical Data

Bromocrriptine is a drug introduced in the medical therapeutics in 1967, and since then it has been widely used in the treatment of hyperprolactinaemia. In experimental animals and in vitro experiments it inhibits prolactin secretion and the phasic secretion of gonadotrophins, while it does not seem to have an effect on growth hormone, or vasopressin secretion. Various central nervous effects, autonomic effects and cardiologic actions of bromocriptine have been reported on experimental animals during the first studies. After the initial evaluations, bromocriptine has been used in preventing lactation and galactorroea, in treating infertility, especially when related to hyperprolactinaemia, in prolactinomas of various sizes, in acromegaly and in Parkinson’s disease. Through the years of its clinical use, various acute and chronic side effects has been reported and closely monitored. Due to its need for continuous use and frequent dosage, effort has been undertaken to develop newer compounds with longer action and similar or better clinical effects. Although this has been achieved, bromocriptine due to its long clinical application and experience remains the drug with whom the actions of newer compounds are still compared. Resistance to prolactin level suppression and tumour size reduction is also frequently estimated for all dopamine agonists used in comparison with these seen after bromocriptine treatment. We present here the most important points of the numerous pharmaceutical studies on bromocriptine.