Antidote
The antidote or antidote (from Greek αντίδοτον from αντί anti "against" and δίδωμι dídōmi "give") is a (stoffliches) antidote to poisons , toxins , drugs or other substances that a body influence.
Working principles
The antidote can
- to reduce the toxic effect of a substance,
- to bind a substance to itself ,
- convert a substance into less toxic substances ,
- to displace a substance from the site of action ( antagonism , competitive inhibition ),
- accelerate the metabolism of a substance,
- accelerate the excretion of a substance.
An antidote can have one or more of these abilities and thus reduce or eliminate the danger of the condition for the affected organism. Antidotes can themselves also have a toxic effect, so that their prophylactic use is limited.
Examples
- Digitalis antidote was developed as a digitalis antitoxin in the 1980s . These are Fab antibody fragments (Fab, abbreviation for engl. Antigen binding fragment ) of IgG immunoglobulins from the serum of immunized sheep. Poisoning caused by the active ingredients of the foxglove plants ( cardiac glycosides ) used in heart therapy can be treated with it; if applied in time, the prognosis is favorable.
- Ethanol acts as an antidote for methanol because it is metabolized preferentially in humans. The concentration of the methanol degradation products formaldehyde and above all formic acid , which leads to acidosis due to their poor degradability , is kept low.
- 4-Dimethylaminophenol acts as an antidote against poisoning with cyanides because it converts divalent iron into trivalent iron and thus promotes the formation of methemoglobin . This binds cyanide ions and thereby inactivates them. In the case of massive hydrocyanic acid poisoning , however, the reaction comes too late.
- Antiserum ("counter serum"), immunoglobulins contained in the blood serum of a person or animal , for example in the case of poisoning by snakebite
Areas of application
Antidotes were originally used for civil therapeutic purposes. With the development of weapons of mass destruction , which, for example, enable biological or chemical warfare, the military importance of antidotes also increased. This is why soldiers are increasingly being equipped with auto-injectors so that they can administer an antidote themselves in appropriate cases.
See also
- List of intoxications and antidotes
- dialysis
- Hemofiltration
- Hemoperfusion
- Plasmapheresis
- Antidotarium
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