Mechanism
In cell biology, actinomycin D is shown to have the ability to inhibit transcription. Actinomycin D does this by binding DNA at the transcription initiation complex and preventing elongation of RNA chain by RNA polymerase. History
Actinomycin D was the first antibiotic shown to have anti-cancer activity. It was first isolated by Selman Waksman and his co-worker H. Boyd Woodruff in 1940. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 10, 1964, and launched by Merck Sharp and Dohme under the trade name Cosmegen. Research use
Because actinomycin can bind DNA duplexes, it can also interfere with DNA replication, although other chemicals such as hydroxyurea are better suited for use in the laboratory as inhibitors of DNA synthesis. Actinomycin D and its fluorescent derivative, 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD), are used as stains in microscopy and flow cytometry applications. The affinity of these stains/compounds for GC-rich regions of DNA strands makes them excellent markers for DNA. 7-AAD binds to single stranded DNA; therefore it is a useful tool in determining apoptosis and distinguishing between dead cells and live ones. References
External links
"Dactinomycin". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
The pharmacokinetics of pantoprazole have been explored in several veterinary species, including calves, alpacas and foals with half lives reported as 2.81, 0.47, and 1.43 hours, respectively. Pantoprazole appears to be eliminated more quickly in goats when compared to calves, with goats having an elimination half-life of less than one hour. History
Pantoprazole was discovered by scientists at Byk Gulden, a subsidiary of Altana; the drug discovery program started in 1980, producing pantoprazole in 1985. The compound was actually created by chemists working on scale-up of a different chemical that had been chosen as a development candidate. : 117, 129   Byk Gulden partnered with Smith Kline & French in 1984.: 124   The compounds development names were BY1029 and SK&F96022. : 123  By 1986 the companies had created the sodium salt, pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate, and decided to develop it as it was more soluble and stable, and was more compatible with other ingredients used in the formulation. : 130   It was first marketed in Germany in 1994.: 130   Wyeth licensed the US patent from Altana, and obtained marketing approval from the US FDA in 2000 under the trade name Protonix.In 2004, worldwide sales of the drug were $3.65 billion, about half of which were in the US.In 2007, Altanas drug business was acquired by Nycomed.