Sulfonamide (drug) facts for kids
A sulfonamide (or sulphonamide) is a special kind of medicine. It's a man-made antibiotic, which means it helps fight off infections caused by bacteria. Its main job is to kill harmful bacteria. However, some sulfonamides have other important uses too. For example, a drug called sulfasalazine is an antibiotic, but it also helps treat problems with the bowel.
Sulfonamides are sometimes called sulfa drugs or sulpha drugs. They all contain a specific chemical part called the sulfonamide group. The most famous antibiotic in this group is known as Sulfanilimide.
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How Sulfa Drugs Work
Sulfa drugs work by stopping bacteria from growing. Inside bacteria, these medicines block a special helper called an enzyme. This enzyme, known as DHPS, is needed to make something very important for bacteria: folic acid. Folic acid is a type of B vitamin.
When bacteria can't make folic acid, they can't grow or survive. It's like they are "starved" of a vital nutrient, and then they die. Humans are different from bacteria. We get our folic acid (which is also called vitamin B9) from the food we eat, so sulfa drugs don't harm us in the same way.
The Story of Sulfa Drugs
Sulfa drugs were the very first medicines that could fight infections inside the body. They opened the door for many other amazing antibiotics to be discovered.
Early Discoveries
The first experiments with sulfonamides began in 1932. This happened in Germany, at the laboratories of a big company called Bayer AG. A team led by a doctor and researcher named Gerhard Domagk worked for years. They tried hundreds of different chemicals. Finally, they found one that worked! It was a red dye made by a Bayer chemist named Josef Klarer. This dye was amazing at stopping some bacterial infections in mice.
The discovery was kept secret for a while. The first official announcement about this breakthrough wasn't made until 1935. This was more than two years after the drug was patented by Klarer and his partner, Fritz Mietzsch.
Prontosil and Sulfanilamide
Bayer named their new drug Prontosil. It was the first medicine ever found that could effectively treat many bacterial infections inside the body. It was very good at fighting infections caused by bacteria like streptococcus. It also helped with other types of bacteria, but not as strongly.
Interestingly, Prontosil didn't work at all in a test tube. It only worked when it was inside a living animal. Later, scientists found out why. Inside the body, Prontosil broke down into two pieces. One of these pieces was a smaller, colorless chemical called sulfanilamide. This was the part that actually fought the bacteria.
This discovery was a bit of a surprise for Bayer. The active molecule, sulfanilamide, had actually been made way back in 1906. Its patent had already expired, meaning anyone could make and sell it. This meant Bayer couldn't make as much money as they hoped.
Sulfa's Impact and Legacy
Because sulfanilamide was now available to everyone, there was a "sulfa craze." Before penicillin was discovered, sulfa drugs were the only effective antibiotics. They were very important during the early years of World War II. They are credited with saving the lives of thousands of people. This included Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr., who was the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1936. Even Winston Churchill was helped by sulfa drugs.
Sulfa played a huge role in stopping wound infections during the war. American soldiers were given a first-aid kit. This kit contained sulfa pills and a powder. Soldiers were told to sprinkle the powder on any open wound they had.
Since its discovery, many thousands of new medicines have been made using the sulfanilamide structure. By 1945, over 5,400 different versions had been created! These newer sulfa drugs are even more effective and have fewer side effects.
Today, sulfa drugs are still widely used. They help treat conditions like acne and urinary tract infections. They are also becoming popular again for fighting infections caused by bacteria that have become resistant to other antibiotics.
How Sulfa Drugs Are Made
Sulfonamides are made in a chemical process. They are created by mixing a chemical called sulfonyl chloride with either ammonia or another chemical called an amine.
