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Emetine and Related Alkaloids

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Mechanism of Action of Antimicrobial and Antitumor Agents

Part of the book series: Antibiotics ((ANTIBIOTICS,volume 3))

Abstract

Emetine, the active principle of ipecac, is isolated from the roots of Cephaelis ipecacuanha, a small plant indigenous to the tropical rain forests of Brazil and countries immediately to the north. The medicinal properties of ipecac in the treatment of dysentery have long been known to the natives of Brazil (Purchas, 1625). The drug was introduced into Europe during the latter part of the 17th Century and sold by a Paris physician, Helvetius, as a secret remedy for dysentery. By 1688, ipecac had achieved such fame that the formula was purchased by Louis XIV and placed in the public domain (Lloyd, 1921; Staub, 1927).

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Authors
  1. Arthur P. Grollman
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  2. Zelda Jarkovsky
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, The Medical and Dental Schools, Northwestern University, 303 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60611, USA

    John W. Corcoran Ph.D.

  2. Department of the Army, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., 20012, USA

    Fred E. Hahn Ph.D.

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© 1975 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Grollman, A.P., Jarkovsky, Z. (1975). Emetine and Related Alkaloids. In: Corcoran, J.W., Hahn, F.E., Snell, J.F., Arora, K.L. (eds) Mechanism of Action of Antimicrobial and Antitumor Agents. Antibiotics, vol 3. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-46304-4_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-46304-4_27

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