Antiallergenic agents

One year after the introduction of fludrocortisone, the A-corticoids were brought forth into clinical medicine. Investigators at Sobering observed that the 1-dehydro derivatives of cortisone and hydrocortisone—namely, prednisone and prednisolone—are more potent antirheumatic and antiallergenic agents than the parent compounds and produced fewer undesirable side effects. These compounds are known as A -corticoids, because they contain an additional double bond between positions 1 and 2 (Fig. 33.10). 

The Latin name comes from the legend that Achilles cured wounds with yarrow during the Trojan War. It arrests internal and external bleeding. Chamazulene, found in yarrow s essential volatile oil, is an anti-inflammatory agent, an antiallergen, and an antispasmodic. 

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