Penicillamine Medical Uses

Penicillamine is a trifunctional organic compound, consisting of a thiol, an amine, and a carboxylic acid. It is actual agnate chemically to the α-amino acid cysteine, but with geminal methyl groups α to the thiol (SH) group. Like a lot of amino acids, it is a achromatic solid that exists in the zwitterionic form. Of its two enantiomers, L-penicillamine is baneful because it inhibits the activity of pyridoxine.L-penicillamine is a metabolite of penicillin. It has no antibacterial properties.

Penicillamine can be used as a disease-modifying antirheumatic biologic (DMARD) to amusement astringent alive rheumatoid arthritis in patients who accept bootless to acknowledge to an able balloon of accepted therapy, although it is rarely used today due to availability of TNF inhibitors and added agents, such as tocilizumab and tofacitinib. Penicillamine works by abbreviation numbers of T-lymphocytes, inhibiting macrophage function, abbreviating IL-1, abbreviating rheumatoid factor, and preventing collagen from cross-linking.