Nitrous Oxide

Summary

Nitrous Oxide (CHEMBL1234579) is an approved small-molecule inhalation anaesthetic (ATC N01AX13); indicated across 18 conditions including burn and complex regional pain syndrome.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• ATC class: N01AX13 (+1 more)
• Indications: 18 conditions
• Clinical trials: 93
• Chemistry: 44.013 Da · N2O

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL1234579
Name	Nitrous Oxide
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	4
FDA approved	yes
PubChem CID	948
ChEBI	CHEBI:17045
ATC	N01AX13, N01AX63
Molecular formula	N2O
Molecular weight	44.013
InChIKey	GQPLMRYTRLFLPF-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES: [N-]=[N+]=O

IUPAC name: nitrous oxide

ChEBI definition: A nitrogen oxide consisting of linear unsymmetrical molecules with formula N2O. While it is the most used gaseous anaesthetic in the world, its major commercial use, due to its solubility under pressure in vegetable fats combined with its non-toxicity in low concentrations, is as an aerosol spray propellant and aerating agent for canisters of ‘whipped’ cream.

Pharmacological roles (ChEBI): inhalation anaesthetic, NMDA receptor antagonist, general anaesthetic, vasodilator agent, analgesic, greenhouse gas, raising agent.

Other ChEBI roles (chemical / environmental): bacterial metabolite, food packaging gas, food propellant, refrigerant.

Also known as: Dinitrogen monoxide, Dinitrogen oxide, Dinitrogenii oxidum, E-942, Entonox, Factitious air, FEMA NO. 2779, INS NO.942, INS-942, Laughing gas, Nitrogen oxide (n(sub 2)o), Nitrogen protoxide

Patent coverage: 96,899 distinct patent families (243,046 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 6 matched compound structure(s). Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

No target linkage available.

Bioactivity

No ChEMBL bioactivity rows at pChembl ≥ 5 (expected for biologics / antibodies).

Target pathways

No target-pathway data for this drug (no mapped target genes).

Indications & clinical

Indications

18 indications (0 at ChEMBL trial phase 4). Phase below is the highest clinical-trial phase recorded for this drug against each disease — not the molecule’s overall approval status (that is in the Summary).

Indication	Trial phase	MONDO	EFO
burn	3	MONDO:0043519	EFO:0009516
complex regional pain syndrome	3	MONDO:0019369	EFO:1001998
injury	3	MONDO:0021178	EFO:0000546
colorectal neoplasm	3	MONDO:0005335	MONDO:0005575
opiate dependence	2	MONDO:0005530	EFO:0005611
post-traumatic stress disorder	2	MONDO:0005146	EFO:0001358
obsessive-compulsive disorder	2	MONDO:0008114	EFO:0004242
major depressive disorder	2	MONDO:0002009	MONDO:0002009
alcohol-related disorders	2	MONDO:0021698	MONDO:0021698
sickle cell disease	2	MONDO:0011382	MONDO:0011382
bipolar disorder	2	MONDO:0004985	MONDO:0004985
drug dependence	2	MONDO:0005303	EFO:0003890
tonsillitis	2	MONDO:0001039	MONDO:0001039
anxiety	0	MONDO:0011918	EFO:0005230

4 further indication records had no mapped disease name (EFO/MeSH-only) or were duplicates, and are omitted.

Clinical trials

Total trials: 93.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
Not specified	31
PHASE4	24
PHASE2	14
PHASE3	9
EARLY_PHASE1	7
PHASE1	6
PHASE2/PHASE3	2

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT05895383	PHASE4	RECRUITING	Self-Adjusted Nitrous Oxide: A Feasibility Study in the Setting of Vasectomy
NCT00146250	PHASE4	COMPLETED	The Effect of N2O Administration on Arterial Oxygenation
NCT00164047	PHASE4	COMPLETED	ENIGMA - Evaluation of Nitrous Oxide In the Gas Mixture for Anaesthesia: a Randomised Controlled Trial
NCT00226837	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Quantifying Nitrous Oxide Effect on Depth of Anaesthesia Using Theoretically Based Time Series Modelling
NCT00318825	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Nitrous Oxide for Analgesia During Colonoscopy
NCT00430989	PHASE4	COMPLETED	The ENIGMA II Trial:Nitrous Oxide Anaesthesia and Cardiac Morbidity After Major Surgery: a Randomised Controlled Trial
NCT00482456	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Homocysteine After Nitrous Oxide Anesthesia
NCT00547209	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Effect of Nitrous Oxide on Intravenous Closed-loop Anesthesia
NCT00706277	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Effect of Total Intravenous Anesthesia and Balanced Anesthesia on Postoperative Lung Function
NCT00967694	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Effect of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) on Intraocular Pressure in Healthy Volunteers
NCT01705743	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Minimum Alveolar Concentration of Sevoflurane With Nitrous Oxide Inducing Isoelectric EEG
NCT01715584	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Is There an Adverse Drug Reaction Between Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade and Inhaled Anesthetics
NCT01744184	PHASE4	TERMINATED	A Single-centre Study of Entonox Versus Midazolam Sedation in Gastroscopy
NCT01865721	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Optimizing the Use of Entonox® During Screening Colonoscopy
NCT02489097	PHASE4	TERMINATED	International Substudy Enigma2 on Postoperative Cognitive Disorders
NCT02671578	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Bispectral Index and Clinical Parameters Evaluation in Dental Procedures
NCT02703233	PHASE4	WITHDRAWN	Effectiveness of Nitrous Oxide in the ED
NCT02985697	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Safety and Efficacy of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine
NCT03085563	PHASE4	COMPLETED	A Comparison of Intranasal Midazolam and Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Minimal Sedation for Minor Procedures in a Pediatric Emergency Department
NCT03513757	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Dexmedetomidine and Propofol for Pediatric MRI Sedation
NCT03847922	PHASE4	TERMINATED	Nitrous Oxide for Analgesia During Office Urethral Bulking
NCT04083105	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Nitrous Oxide Prior to Intranasal Midazolam for Moderate Dental Sedation in Pediatric Patients
NCT04957368	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Sustained Mood Improvement With Laughing Gas Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
NCT05430750	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Global Warming Impact of Nitrous Oxide
NCT03167905	PHASE2/PHASE3	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	CODEPAD (Collaborative Outcomes of DEpression and Pain Associated With Delivery)
NCT05383495	PHASE3	RECRUITING	Anxiolysis for Laceration Repair in Children
NCT00219713	PHASE3	TERMINATED	Evaluation of Pain Intensity During Bone Marrow Biopsy Performed With Inhalation of Pre-Mixed 50 Per Cent Nitrous Oxide and Oxygen Mixture.
NCT00250692	PHASE3	WITHDRAWN	A Study to Test the Pain-relieving Effect of Laughing Gas in Infants
NCT00762372	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Japan Phase 2/3 Clinical Study With BLM-240 (Desflurane)
NCT00781352	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Nitrous Oxide and Risk of Cancer Recurrence After Colorectal Surgery: A Randomized, Blinded Study
NCT00948103	PHASE3	COMPLETED	The Interest of the Nitrous Oxide During Intravesical Injection of Botulinum Toxin A
NCT01735669	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Open Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Remifentanil Versus Nitrous Oxide in External Cephalic Version at Term in Singleton Pregnancy in Breech Presentation
NCT03502915	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Nitrous Oxide for External Cephalic Version
NCT03879538	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Nitrous Oxide for the Treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
NCT06498908	PHASE3	WITHDRAWN	Intracervical Balloon Placement With Nitrous Oxide Administration
NCT03826693	PHASE2	RECRUITING	Efficacy of Nitrous Oxide in OCD: Pilot Study
NCT06118567	PHASE2	RECRUITING	Effect of Nitrous Oxide on Aggression.
NCT06430489	PHASE2	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Treatment of Suicidal Ideation in the Emergency Department Using Nitrous Oxide
NCT00000255	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Differential Acute Tolerance Development to Effects of Nitrous Oxide - 7
NCT01691690	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Analgesic Effect of IV Acetaminophen in Tonsillectomies

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No PharmGKB pharmacogenomic data curated for this drug.

Related molecules

Related molecules

No competitor molecules sharing a primary target (ChEMBL phase ≥2 or PubChem drug-class).