Sodium phenylbutyrate

Sodium phenylbutyrate
Clinical data
Trade namesBuphenyl, Pheburane, Ammonaps, others
AHFS/Drugs.comMicromedex Detailed Consumer Information
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • AU: B3
Routes of
administration
By mouth
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
  • AU: S4 (Prescription only)
  • CA: ℞-only
  • US: ℞-only
  • EU: Rx-only
  • In general: ℞ (Prescription only)
Pharmacokinetic data
MetabolismLiver and kidney to phenylacetic acid
Elimination half-life0.8 hours (phenylbutyrate), 1.15-1.29 hours (phenylacetate)
ExcretionUrine (80-100% as phenylacetylglutamine)
Identifiers
  • Sodium 4-phenylbutanoate
CAS Number
PubChem CID
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.130.318
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC10H11NaO2
Molar mass186.186 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • [Na+].[O-]C(=O)CCCC1=CC=CC=C1
  • InChI=1S/C10H12O2.Na/c11-10(12)8-4-7-9-5-2-1-3-6-9;/h1-3,5-6H,4,7-8H2,(H,11,12);/q;+1/p-1 Y
  • Key:VPZRWNZGLKXFOE-UHFFFAOYSA-M Y
 NY (what is this?)  (verify)

Sodium phenylbutyrate, sold under the brand name Buphenyl among others, is a salt of an aromatic fatty acid, 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) or 4-phenylbutyric acid. The compound is used to treat urea cycle disorders, because its metabolites offer an alternative pathway to the urea cycle to allow excretion of excess nitrogen.

Sodium phenylbutyrate is also a histone deacetylase inhibitor and chemical chaperone, leading respectively to research into its use as an anti-cancer agent and in protein misfolding diseases such as cystic fibrosis.