Chirality in antirheumatic drugs.
Use of chiral molecules in clinical practice may cause problems because different chiral forms of a drug (enantiomers) may have different biological activities--yet clinicians have little awareness of these risks. After discussion of the chemical conventions used to describe chirality, examples of the influence of chirality on the efficacy and toxicity of antirheumatic drugs are given. It is recommended that single enantiomers should be used in biological experiments and clinical trials.
Kean
W F
WF
Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Lock
C J
CJ
Howard-Lock
H E
HE
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000737:chemistry*; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate / Q000737:chemistry; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000737:chemistry; D013237:Stereoisomerism
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate; D010396:Penicillamine