melarsoprol

melarsoprol

drug
      antiprotozoal drug formerly used in the treatment of late-stage African trypanosomiasis ( sleeping sickness). Melarsoprol is an organoarsenic compound that was discovered in 1949. Its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier made it particularly effective against late-stage Gambian (or West African) sleeping sickness, which is characterized by entry of the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei gambiense into the central nervous system (nervous system, human). Melarsoprol was also used effectively against late-stage Rhodesian (or East African) sleeping sickness, caused by T. brucei rhodesiense. Though melarsoprol's mechanism of action was never entirely understood, scientists suspected that the drug killed trypanosomes by inhibiting a fundamental pathway of energy metabolism.

      Melarsoprol was extremely toxic to humans, causing life-threatening encephalopathy (diffuse brain disease) in about 5–10 percent of patients treated with the drug. In the early 2000s it was found that melarsoprol-resistant trypanosomes accounted for treatment failure in nearly 20 percent of patients in central Africa. Shortly thereafter melarsoprol was supplanted by eflornithine in the treatment of late-stage Gambian sleeping sickness.

Kara Rogers
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Mélarsoprol — Général Nom IUPAC (2 (4 ((4,6 diamino 1,3,5 triazin 2 yl)amino)phenyl) 1,3,2 dithiarsolan 4 yl)methanol No …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Melarsoprol — Systematic (IUPAC) name (2 (4 (4,6 diamino 1,3,5 triazin 2 ylamino) …   Wikipedia

  • Melarsoprol — Nombre (IUPAC) sistemático …   Wikipedia Español

  • Melarsoprol — Strukturformel Allgemeines Freiname Melarsoprol Andere Namen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • melarsoprol — Used in the treatment of the meningoencephalitic stages of trypanosomiasis; may produce a fatal reactive encephalopathy. * * * me·lar·so·prol me lar sə .prȯl n a drug C12H15AsN6OS2 used in the treatment of trypanosomiasis esp. in advanced stages …   Medical dictionary

  • MEL B — melarsoprol …   Medical dictionary

  • MEL B — • melarsoprol …   Dictionary of medical acronyms & abbreviations

  • 494-79-1 — Mélarsoprol Mélarsoprol Général Nom IUPAC (2 (4 ((4,6 diamino 1,3,5 triazin 2 yl)amino)phenyl) 1,3,2 dithiarsolan 4 yl)methanol …   Wikipédia en Français

  • C12H15AsN6OS2 — Mélarsoprol Mélarsoprol Général Nom IUPAC (2 (4 ((4,6 diamino 1,3,5 triazin 2 yl)amino)phenyl) 1,3,2 dithiarsolan 4 yl)methanol …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sleeping sickness — MedlinePlus = 001362 eMedicineSubj = med eMedicineTopic = 2140 MeshID = D014353 Sleeping sickness or human African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease of people and animals, caused by protozoa of species Trypanosoma brucei and transmitted by… …   Wikipedia

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