British anti-Lewisite development

Dimercaprol (BAL, British Anti-Lewisite) was developed in World War 11 as an antidote against vesicant organic arsenicals (B). It is able to chelate various metal ions. Dimercaprol forms a liquid, rapidly decomposing substance that is given intramuscularly in an oily vehicle. A related compound, both in terms of structure and activity, is di-mercaptopropanesulfonic acid, whose sodium salt is suitable for oral administration. Shivering, fever, and skin reactions are potential adverse effects. 

The first chelating agent developed as an antidote to a heavy metal poison was 2,3-dimereaptopropanol (dimercaprol, British Anti-Lewisite, BAL). Originally intended for use on victims of the arsenical vesicant poison gas Lewisite52, it has since proved efficacious in the treatment of antimony, gold and mercury poisoning as well as... 

Another compound used to treat lead poisoning is British anti-Lewisite (BAL), originally developed to treat arsenic-containing poison gas Lewisite. As shown in Figure 10.6, BAL chelates lead through its sulfhydryl groups, and the chelate is excreted through the kidney and bile. 

The origins of chelation therapy can be traced back to the treatment of First World War soldiers who had suffered from gas attacks that used the arsenic-based toxin, Lewisite. A dithiol, British anti-Lewisite (BAL), was developed to remove the toxic metal. 

Similar to the mustard agents, exposure prevention is the first line of defense against lewisite. Rapid decontamination is especially relevant to lewisite exposure due to the rapid development of pain (1-2 min) associated with lewisite exposure. Unlike other vesicants, an effective antidote for lewisite toxicity exists in the form of British anti-lewisite (BAL 2,3-dimercaptopropanol) which binds with arsenicals, thereby countering the lewisite-induced damage. Such chelation therapy is associated with notable side effects (e.g. renal effects) and requires carefiil medical management. More effective analogs of BAL have been developed with less significant side effects. 

A recently developed treatment foi acute mercury poisoning is the injection of a H sulfur compound BAL (British anti-lewisite). This compound, pro-... 

Treatment for these poisons is the administration of sulfhydryl reagents with adjacent sulfhydryl groups to compete with the dihydrolipoyl residues for binding with the metal ion, which is then excreted in the urine. Indeed, 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (see Figure 17.20) was developed after World War I as an antidote to lewisite, an arsenic-based chemical weapon. This compound was initially called BAL, for British anti-lewisite. 

Research on anesthetic gases during the nineteenth century facilitated the development and use of poisonous war gases in the twentieth. This led to attempts to counteract the effects of chemical warfare agents and other toxic compounds, particularly arsenicals, introduced by Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915) for the treatment of syphilis. This resulted in the synthesis of the first specific chemical antidote, British anti-Lewisite (BAL), in 1945 by R.A. Peters, L.A. Stocken, and R.H.S. Thompson in Oxford. Studies on the mechanistic bases for toxicity were applied to the synthesis of effective insecticides. For example, during the 1940s, the Swiss chemist Paul Muller discovered a compound, now known as DDT, that poisons insects on contact. 

A4.1 The answers are shown in Figure 11.5. Incidentally, dimercaprol is also known as British Anti Lewisite (or BAL) and was originally developed as an antidote to the chemical warfare agent Lewisite, an arsenic derivative. 

Peters R (1948). Development and theoretical significance of British Anti-Lewisite (BAL). Br Med Bull, 5,313-318. 

British Anti-Lewisite (BAL) is a dithiol used as an antidote in mercury poisoning. It was originally developed as an antidote to a mustard-gas-hke chemical warfare agent called Lewisite. Lewisite was developed near the end of World War I and never used. By the onset of World War II, Lewisite was considered to be obsolete because of the discovery of BAL, an effective, inexpensive antidote. The two thiol groups of BAL form a water-soluble complex with mercury (or with the arsenic in Lewisite) that is excreted from the body in the urine. 

Allies were concerned that the Germans would use lewisite, so British scientists developed an antidote to lewisite that the Allies called British anti-lewisite (BAL). BAL contains two thiol groups that react with lewisite, thereby preventing it from reacting with the thiol groups of enzymes. 

An antidote is available for lewisite exposure. BAL (British-Anti-Lewisite dimercaprol) was developed by the British during World War II. The antidote is produced in oil diluent for intramuscular administration to counter the systemic effects of lewisite. There is no effect, however, on the skin lesions (eyes, skin, and respiratory system) from the antidote. Mustard agents (H), (HD), (HS), and (HT), like nerve agents, would be classihed as Class 6.1 poisons by the DOT and would have NFPA 704 designations of health 4, flammability 1, reactivity 1, and special... 

Organoarsenic compounds have a history not just for good (see Salvarsan above), but also for use as poison gas in World War I. Lewisite (GlGH=GHAsGl2) was tested but luckily never used. Research into possible antidotes led to the development of 2,3-dimercaptopropanol, known as mercaprol or British anti-Lewisite (BAL). This compound to... 

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