noun
- Plural of eserine; alkaloid compounds derived from the Calabar bean, used in medicine as cholinergic agents to treat glaucoma and myasthenia gravis.
Usage: pharmaceutical/medical term; also called physostigmine
Examples
- Eserines were historically important in the treatment of glaucoma before newer medications became available.
- The pharmacist explained that eserines work by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase.
- Early ophthalmologists relied on eserines to reduce intraocular pressure in their patients.