J. Vane, R. Flower, R. Botting
Dec 1, 1990
Citations
3
Influential Citations
186
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Stroke
Abstract
The history of Aspirin goes back many thousands of years to the early uses of decoctions or preparations of plants that contain salicylate. Salicylic acid was chemically synthesized in 1860 in Germany, and its ready supply led to even greater use as an external antiseptic, as an antipyretic, and in the treatment of rheumatism. Aspirin itself was synthesized by Felix Hoffman while working at Bayer at the turn of the century, and Hermann Dreser introduced it in 1899 when he published a report suggesting that Aspirin was a convenient way of supplying the body with the active substance salicylate. Pharmacologists have put forth many different possible modes of action of Aspirin, but the one that has gained general recognition is through inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis by irreversible interaction with the enzyme cyclooxygenase. This discovery in 1971 led to a veritable explosion in research, which resulted in several new, more potent Aspirin-like drugs and in an extension of the uses of Aspirin. This mode of action of Aspirin is discussed in this review as well as some of the surviving alternative hypotheses.