title: Antibodies and digitalis: the modern revolution in the use of an ancient drug.
abstract: Although digitalis glycosides have been widely used in clinical medicine since the classic description by William Withering in 1785, it was not until the advent of a specific immunoassay that their clinical pharmacology could be examined intensively under a wide variety of circumstances. The insights gained into the relations among dosage, plasma concentration, bioavailability, distribution, metabolism, excretion and interactions with other drugs and the manifestations of toxicity certainly have reduced the frequency of adverse reactions to this highly toxic but useful group of drugs. More recently, antibodies have also been utilized as specific antidotes for digitalis toxicity, with dramatic life-saving effect.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000097:blood; D000906:Antibodies / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced; D004071:Digitalis Glycosides / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007700:Kinetics; D012306:Risk; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000906:Antibodies; D004071:Digitalis Glycosides; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments