RESUMEN
Ergotism is the long-term ergot poisoning by ingestion of rye or other grains infected with the fungus Claviceps purpurea and more recently by excessive intake of ergot drugs. It has either neuropsychiatric or vascular manifestations. In the Middle Ages, the gangrenous poisoning was known as St. Anthony's fire, after the order of the Monks of St. Anthony who were particularly skilled at treating the condition. In 1917, Prof. Arthur Stoll returned home to Switzerland from Germany, to lead the development of a new pharmaceutical department at Sandoz Chemical Company. Stoll, using the special methods of extraction learned from his work with his mentor Willstetter, started his industrial research work with ergot. He succeeded in isolating, from the ergot of rye, ergotamine as an active principle of an old popular remedy for excessive post-partum bleeding. The success of this discovery occurred in 1918 and was translated into a pharmaceutical product in 1921 under the trade name Gynergen. In subsequent work, Stoll and his team were leaders in identifying the structure of the many other alkaloids and amines produced by Claviceps purpurea This was the cultural background and scientific foundation on which bromocriptine was discovered.
Asunto(s)
Antiparkinsonianos/uso terapéutico , Bromocriptina/uso terapéutico , Agonistas de Dopamina/uso terapéutico , Descubrimiento de Drogas/historia , Enfermedad de Parkinson/tratamiento farmacológico , Acromegalia/tratamiento farmacológico , Acromegalia/historia , Animales , Aniversarios y Eventos Especiales , Antiparkinsonianos/historia , Antiparkinsonianos/aislamiento & purificación , Antiparkinsonianos/envenenamiento , Bromocriptina/aislamiento & purificación , Bromocriptina/metabolismo , Bromocriptina/envenenamiento , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/tratamiento farmacológico , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/historia , Agonistas de Dopamina/historia , Agonistas de Dopamina/aislamiento & purificación , Agonistas de Dopamina/envenenamiento , Quimioterapia Combinada/efectos adversos , Quimioterapia Combinada/historia , Ergotismo/etiología , Ergotismo/historia , Historia del Siglo XX , Antagonistas de Hormonas/efectos adversos , Antagonistas de Hormonas/historia , Antagonistas de Hormonas/uso terapéutico , Humanos , Hiperprolactinemia/tratamiento farmacológico , Hiperprolactinemia/historia , Hipoglucemiantes/efectos adversos , Hipoglucemiantes/historia , Hipoglucemiantes/uso terapéutico , Enfermedad de Parkinson/historia , Neoplasias Hipofisarias/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hipofisarias/historiaRESUMEN
This paper explores chronologically the evolution of raised prolactin levels as an entity in psychiatric patients. Menstrual problems were described in patients with schizophrenia prior to the introduction of antipsychotic medication, but galactorrhoea and gynaecomastia were not commonly seen until the advent of antipsychotics. Following the introduction of antipsychotic medication single case reports of patients with galactorrhoea and gynaecomastia appeared. These were followed by a collection of case reports and the process reached today's data of laboratory defined rates of prolactin and sexual side effects. The paper also reviews the emerging research linking hyperprolactinaemia with increased risk of osteoporosis and possibly breast cancer. An overarching thread which runs throughout these publications, is the paucity of clinical research, which has only recently begun to be addressed.