Rilmenidine, an innovative antihypertensive agent, is an orally active, selective I1 imidazoline receptor agonist. Rilmenidine is an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist. Rilmenidine induces autophagy. Rilmenidine acts both centrally by reducing sympathetic overactivity and in the kidney by inhibiting the Na+/H+ antiport. Rilmenidine modulates proliferation and stimulates the proapoptotic protein Bax thus inducing the perturbation of the mitochondrial pathway and apoptosis in human leukemic K562 cells[1][2][3].
