Medicines Mercaptopurine

Yates, C. R., Krynetski, E. Y., Loennechen, T., et al. (1997) Molecular diagnosis of thiopuiine S-methyltransferase deficiency genetic basis for azathiopiine and mercaptopurine intolerance. Annals of Internal Medicine. 126, 608-614. 

Nucleotides and nucleosides have emerged as important molecules in medicinal chemistry. In the 1950s, Elion and Hitchings discovered that 6-mercaptopurine had antitumor properties. This pioneering discovery opened the door for many subsequent studies of nucleotide derivatives as therapeutics. Acyclovir (8.3), a nucleoside that lacks two carbon atoms of its ribose ring, is effective in the treatment of herpes infections. Allopurinol, a purine derivative, is useful in the treatment of gout. 

Thiols are impurities distributed among petroleum products. They cause foul odor and deterioration of additives in finished products. Some thiol compounds such as 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine are used in medicine (e.g., treatment of leukemia) while others form essentials components of biological systems (e.g., amino acids). Some thiols (e.g., cysteine) are not readily detected on bare electrodes, hence the need for chemical modification of electrodes with electroactive catalysts. The use of CME also enhances sensitivity for the detection of thiols even for those that can be determined directly on bare electrodes. Phthalo-cyanines and porphyrins have been studied extensively as electrocatalysts for the detection of thiols. Electrocatalytic oxidations of cysteine and 2-mercaptoethanol have received considerable attention over many years. The aim is to lower the... 

Acyclovir and 6-mercaptopurine are representative of the kind of drugs for which Gertrude B. Elion and George H. Hitchings of Burroughs Wellcome were awarded a share of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The co-recipient was Sir James Black for his work in separate areas of drug development. 

---