2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (abbreviated DMPS) and its sodium salt (known as Unithiol) are

chelating agent Chelation is a type of bonding of ions and molecules to metal ions. It involves the formation or presence of two or more separate coordinate bonds between a polydentate (multiple bonded) ligand and a single central metal atom. These ligands are ...

s that form complexes with various heavy metals. They are related to

dimercaprol Dimercaprol, also called British anti-Lewisite (BAL), is a medication used to treat acute poisoning by arsenic, mercury, gold, and lead. It may also be used for antimony, thallium, or bismuth poisoning, although the evidence for those uses is not ...

, which is another chelating agent. The synthesis of DMPS was first reported in 1956 by V. E. Petrunkin. The effects of DMPS on heavy metal poisoning, including with

polonium Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84. Polonium is a chalcogen. A rare and highly radioactive metal with no stable isotopes, polonium is chemically similar to selenium and tellurium, though its metallic character ...

-210, were investigated in the following years. DMPS was found to have some protective effect, prolonging the survival time. A study was undertaken of DMPS use by workers involved in the production of a calomel

skin bleaching Skin whitening, also known as skin lightening and skin bleaching, is the practice of using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten the skin or provide an even skin color by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. Several chemicals ha ...

lotion and in direct contact with mercurous chloride and that already showed elevated urine mercury levels. The sodium salt of DMPS was found to be effective in lowering the body burden of mercury and in decreasing the urinary mercury concentration to normal levels. DMPS administrated to a mercury poisoned animal model failed to remove the mercury from tissues and reduce the inorganic mercury burden in the brain. A 2008 study reported a case of

Stevens–Johnson syndrome Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a type of severe skin reaction. Together with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens–Johnson/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN), it forms a spectrum of disease, with SJS being less severe. Erythema ...

(SJS), a potentially serious disease, in a child undergoing

chelation therapy Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves the administration of Chelation, chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. Chelation therapy has a long history of use in clinical toxicology and remains in use for some very sp ...

with DMPS; the SJS resolved gradually after the chelation therapy was stopped. A 2020 study found DMPS to provide some benefits taken orally in mitigating effects from hemotoxic snakebites (using venom from saw-scaled vipers ''Viperidae Echis'') in mouse models when given soon after exposure, suggesting its potential for repurposing as a prehospital treatment. [Albulescu, L.; Hale, M.S.;Ainsworth, S.; Alsolaiss, J.; Crittenden, E.; Calvete, J.J.; Evans, C.; Wilkinson, M.C.; Harrison, R.A.; Kool, J.; Casewell, N.R. (2020). "Preclinical validation of a repurposed metal chelator as an early-intervention therapeutic for hemotoxic snakebite". Science Translational Medicine, Vol 12, Issue 542, 8314 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay8314]

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimercapto-1-Propanesulfonic Acid, 2,3- Chelating agents Sulfonic acids Thiols Antidotes

See also

References