Molecules and Medicine

PART I. INTRODUCTION 2 UNDERSTANDING STRUCTURAL DIAGRAMS OF ORGANIC MOLECULES 4 SOME COMMON MOLECULES 23 PROTEINS AND THREE DIMENSIONAL PROTEIN STRUCTURE 26 SOME OF THE PROTEIN STRUCTURES THAT APPEAR IN THIS BOOK 32 PART II. INFLAMMATORY, CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES ANTI INFLAMMATORY AGENTS Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) 38 Naproxen (Aleve) 39 How Do Anti Inflammatory Drugs Work? 40 Other Eicosanoids in Inflammation 41 An Overview of Inflammation 42 Celecoxib (Celebrex) 43 Prednisone (Deltasone) 44 Methotrexate (Trexall) 46 Allopurinol (Zyloprim) 47 ANTIASTHMATIC AND ANTIALLERGIC AGENTS Salmeterol (Serevent) 50 Fluticasone Propionate (Flovent) 51 Montelukast Sodium (Singulair) 52 Tiotropium Bromide (Spiriva) 53 Loratadine (Claritin) 54 TYPE 2 DIABETES An Overview of Metabolic Syndrome 56 ANTIDIABETIC AND CHOLESTEROL LOWERING AGENTS Metformin (Glucophage) 60 Glipizide (Glucotrol) 61 Pioglitazone (Actos) 62 Sitagliptin (Januvia) 63 Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 64 Ezetimibe (Zetia) 65 CARDIOVASCULAR AGENTS Atenolol (Tenormin) 68 Enalapril (Vasotec) 69 Candesartan Cilexetil (Atacand) 70 Aliskiren (Tekturna) 71 Amlodipine (Norvasc) 72 Nitroglycerin 73 Clopidogrel Bisulfate (Plavix) 74 Digoxin (Lanoxin) 75 RECEPTORS AND SIGNALING Information Flow into the Cell by Chemical Signaling 78 REFERENCES FOR PART II 80 PART III. REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE Oral Contraceptives 90 Testosterone 91 Mifepristone (Mifeprex) 92 Oxytocin(Oxytocin) 93 Sildenafil (Viagra) 94 OSTEOPOROSIS Some Aspects of Osteoporosis 96 Alendronate (Fosamax) 97 Calcitriol (Rocaltrol) 98 Raloxifene (Evista 99 Teriparatide (Forteo) 100 GLAUCOMA AND ANTIULCER AGENTS Latanoprost (Xalatan) 102 Ranitidine (Zantac) 103 Omeprazole (Prilosec) 104 REFERENCES FOR PART III 105 PART IV. AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AND ORGAN TRANSPLANT A Brief Survey of the Immune System 112 IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE AGENTS Azathioprine (Imuran) 122 Mycophenolate Mofetil (CellCept) 123 Cyclosporin (Neoral) 124 Tacrolimus (Prograf) 125 FTY720 (Fingolimod)

E. J. Corey has been a Professor at Harvard University since 1959. He was educated at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1945-1950) and served as a faculty member at the University of Illinois from1951 to 1959. He is the 1990 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, and the recipient of over seventy international awards and honorary degrees, including the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Japan Prize in Science, and the Priestley Medal of the American Chemical Society. He is amember of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Institute of Medicine. Professor Corey is the author of more than 1,000 publications and is one of the most cited authors in science.

Barbara Czakó completed undergraduate studies at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, where she worked with Dr. Sándor Berényi. She obtained a Master of Science degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia with Professor Shon R. Pulley. Dr. Czakó received her Ph.D. degree (2006) in synthetic organic chemistry under the guidance of Professor Gary A. Molander at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently she is a postdoctoral fellow with Professor E.J. Corey at Harvard University. In 2005 she published with László Kürti the textbook Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis.

László Kürti was born and raised in Hungary. He received his diploma from the University of Debrecen, Hungary, where he conducted research in the laboratory of Professor Sándor Antus. Subsequently he received his Master of Science degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia working with Professor Michael Harmata, and his Ph.D. degree (2006) in synthetic organic chemistry under the supervision of Professor Amos B. Smith III (the University of Pennsylvania). Currently he is a Damon Runyon Cancer Fellow in the group of Professor E.J. Corey at Harvard University. In 2005 he published with Barbara Czakó the textbook Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis.

"Molecules and Medicine is a fascinating introduction to the convergence of chemistry and physiology, and to the emergence of the science of molecular medicine." (The Nucleus, January 2010)
 
"An interesting and valuable read ... .This book is intended for a wide audience and contains much that will engage the specialist and general reader alike." (Chemistry World, July 2008)
 
"...a joy to read...will inspire the field...not only reports on a scientific subject but also creates new dimensions. Bravo to authors Corey, Czako, and Kurti." (Chemical & Engineering News, September 17, 2007)