Disease Dilemmas SG5 Flashcards
Define Alkaloid
Naturally occurring chemical compound. The active ingredient in many medicinal drugs e.g. morphine
Define Glycosides
A compound made from sugar and another compound. Many medicinal drugs are glycosides derived from plants
Define Morphine
A narcotic pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe pain
What is morphine’s source in nature?
Derived from alkaloids contained in the milky latex sap of opium poppy
Define Digitalis
A purified cardiac glycoside used to treat a variety of heart conditions
What is digitalis’ source in nature?
Foxgloves - the plant is rich in glycosides which contain digoxin (a steroid bonded to sugar)
Define Quinine
A medication used to treat malaria
What is quinine’s source in nature?
The bark is stripped from the cinchonas tree, dried and ground into a powder
Define Caffeine
A central nervous system stimulant which is the main ingredient in many over-the-counter medications which can help treat migraine headaches
What is caffeine’s source in nature?
Occurs naturally in >600 plants including coffee beans, tea leaves and coca
Define Salicin
A medicine closely related in chemical make-up to aspirin and has a very similar action in the human body (it is an anti-inflammatory agent)
What is salicin’s source in nature?
Produced in willow bark
How and when were the medicinal properties of willow trees first discovered?
400 BC - Hippocrates advised people to chew on the bark for pain relief and to make willow tea to ease the pain of childbirth
How was willow bark used traditionally?
First used by Sumerians (a civilisation of ancient Egypt) 4,000 years ago to ease pain
When was aspirin formed?
1853 - Charles Gerhardt was able to chemically synthesise the compound creating a substance called acetylsalicylic acid
When was Aspirin first marketed and sold as a pain reliever?
1897 - the pharmaceutical company Bayer found a new method and began marketing the pain relief as a compound called Aspirin
Define Prunus Africana
A tree from mountainous areas of tropical Africa and Madagascar which is harvested for its bark which has medicinal properties
What is Prunus Africa used for?
To treat a number of health conditions including Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Define Biopiracy
The exploitation of medicinal drugs from wild environments by pharmaceutical companies with little or no benefit to indigenous people
Define Intellectual Property
Creations of the mind e.g. ideas or designs which is protected by law e.g. by patent, copyright or trademark which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create
What groups of people first discovered the medical uses of Prunus Africana?
Traditional indigenous tribes in Africa, used by traditional healers
Who holds the intellectual property right for the knowledge about the medicinal use of Prunus Africana?
French entrepreneur Jacques Debat