Different roads to discovery; Prontosil (hence sulfa drugs) and penicillin (hence beta-lactams).

Abstract

The important chemotherapeutic agents, Prontosil and pentenylpenicillin (penicillin F), were investigated initially by two men, Domagk and Fleming, who had been influenced by the horrendous wound infections of World War I. The very different pathways leading to their development and to that of the successor antibacterials (sulfa drugs, further penicillins, semi-synthetic penicillins), including the role played by patents, are discussed.

• Authors: Ronald Bentley
• Journal: Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology (J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol) Vol. 36 Issue 6 Pg. 775-86 (Jun 2009) ISSN: 1476-5535 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 19283418 (Publication Type: Historical Article, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Penicillins
• p-Aminoazobenzene
• sulfamidochrysoidine

Topics

• Anti-Bacterial Agents (chemical synthesis, therapeutic use)
• Bacterial Infections (drug therapy, history)
• Drug Discovery (history)
• History, 19th Century
• History, 20th Century
• Humans
• Male
• Patents as Topic
• Penicillins (chemical synthesis, therapeutic use)
• p-Aminoazobenzene (analogs & derivatives, chemical synthesis, therapeutic use)