Acriflavine (

INN Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

: acriflavinium chloride) is a topical

antiseptic An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...

. It has the form of an orange or brown powder. It may be harmful in the eyes or if inhaled. It is a dye and it stains the skin and may irritate. The

hydrochloride In chemistry, a hydrochloride is an acid salt resulting, or regarded as resulting, from the reaction of hydrochloric acid with an organic base (e.g. an amine). An alternative name is chlorhydrate, which comes from French. An archaic alternati ...

form is more irritating than the neutral form. It is derived from

acridine Acridine is an organic compound and a nitrogen heterocycle with the formula C13H9N. Acridines are substituted derivatives of the parent ring. It is a planar molecule that is structurally related to anthracene with one of the central CH groups ...

. Commercial preparations are often mixtures with proflavine. It is known by a variety of commercial names.

Uses

Medical use

Acriflavine was developed in 1912 by

Paul Ehrlich Paul Ehrlich (; 14 March 1854 – 20 August 1915) was a Nobel Prize-winning German physician and scientist who worked in the fields of hematology, immunology and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Among his foremost achievements were finding a cure fo ...

, a German medical researcher, and was used during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

against

sleeping sickness African trypanosomiasis is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is caused by the species '' Trypanosoma b ...

and as a topical antiseptic.acriflavine ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
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Other uses

Acriflavine is used in biochemistry for fluorescently labeling high molecular weight RNA. It is used as treatment for external

fungal infection Fungal infection, also known as mycosis, is a disease caused by fungi. Different types are traditionally divided according to the part of the body affected: superficial, subcutaneous, and systemic. Superficial fungal infections include common ...

s of aquarium fish.

Research

Acriflavine might be effective in fighting common cold virus, and also aid the fight against increasingly antibiotic resistant bacteria because it can cure (remove) plasmids containing antimicrobial resistance genes from Gram positive bacteria. Since 2014, acriflavine has been undergoing testing as an antimalarial drug to treat parasites with resistance to

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

and modern anti-parasitic medicines.

Legal status

Australia

Acriflavine is a controlled substance in Australia and dependent on situation, is considered either a Schedule 5 (Caution) or Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) substance. The use, storage and preparation of the chemical is subject to strict state and territory laws.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline
ChemExper Chemical Directory
Antiseptics Quaternary ammonium compounds Acridine dyes Chlorides