Penicillamine (Chomping copper) : Molecule of the Day

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Penicillamine (Chomping copper)

Category: Drugs
Posted on: January 11, 2007 9:00 PM, by Molecule of the Day

Despite the name, penicillamine isn't an antibiotic; it's actually a metabolite of penicillin-class drugs. It is given as the pure chemical too.

InChI=1/C5H11NO2S/c1-5(2,9)3(6)4(7)8/h3,9H,6H2,1-2H3,(H,7,8)/t3-/m0/s1

It is an immunosuppressant, among other things. My favorite medical use of it is its role in chelating copper as a treatment for Wilson's disease, a rare disease caused by an inborn error in metabolism that causes copper to accumulate. Remove the copper, you treat the disease.

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Comments

1

why don't you do a little special on butyric acid... with cancer and such

Posted by: none | January 12, 2007 4:12 PM

2

Good job, House.

Posted by: Jeremiah | January 23, 2007 9:53 AM

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