Arsphenamine

Arsphenamine is a drug that was used to treat syphilis and trypanosomiasis.

Related Topics:
Drug - Syphilis - Trypanosomiasis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was the first modern chemotherapeutic agent.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sahachiro Hata found this compound in 1908 while studying in the laboratory of Paul Ehrlich, during a survey of thousands of compounds (derivates of the drug atoxyl) in search of anti-spirochete activity (the bacterium that causes syphilis is a spirochete).

Related Topics:
Sahachiro Hata - Paul Ehrlich - Atoxyl - Spirochete

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This compound was marketed under the trade name Salvarsan in 1910.

Related Topics:
Trade name - 1910

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After leaving Erlich's laboratory, Hata continued parallel investigation of the new medicine in Japan.{{an|Hata}}

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The structure has been believed to be:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

but in 2005, researchers determined Arsphenamine's structure to be a compound of a cyclic trimer and a pentamerhttp://www1.accsnet.ne.jp/~kentaro/yuuki/mow/0501/salvarsan.html.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was the first important antisyphillitic, though was phased out in the 1930s by better arsenical compounds (neoarsphenamine), and eventually altogether by penicillin.

Related Topics:
1930s - Arsenic - Penicillin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~