Arsphenamine
Arsphenamine, also known as Salvarsan or compound 606, is a drug. It was introduced at the beginning of the 1910s. It was the first effective treatment for syphilis and African trypanosomiasis. This organoarsenic compound was the first modern antimicrobial {antibiotic} agent.
Arsphenamine was first synthesized in 1907 in Paul Ehrlich's lab by Alfred Bertheim.[1]
The antisyphilitic activity of this compound was discovered by Sahachiro Hata in 1909. He surveyed hundreds of newly synthesized organic arsenical compounds. Ehrlich thought that by screening many compounds, a drug could be discovered which would have anti-microbial activity but not kill the patient.
Ehrlich's laboratory developed a more soluble (but slightly less effective) arsenical compound, Neosalvarsan (neoarsphenamine), which was easier to prepare.
Arsphenamine Media
The structure of arsphenamine has been proposed to be akin to azobenzene (A), but chemical studies published in 2005 suggest that salvarsan is actually a mixture of the trimer (B) and the pentamer (C).
Related pages
- Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet, 1940 movie about Ehrlich's quest to find a cure for syphilis.
References
- ↑ Williams K.J. 2009 (2009). "The introduction of 'chemotherapy' using arsphenamine - the first magic bullet". J R Soc Med. 102 (8): 343–8. doi:10.1258/jrsm.2009.09k036. PMC 2726818. PMID 19679737.