The common name for acetylsalicylic acid, the drug most widely used for relief of pain, inflammation and fever. Acetylsalicylic acid and other chemical derivatives of salicylic acid are known collectively as salicylates. The salicylates are among the oldest known drugs. In ancient times preparations of willow bark were used to treat infection, pain, gout and fever. In the active principle in willow bark was identified as salicylic acid which was first artificially produced in 1860. Its sodium salt was introduced into medicine in 1875.
The search for an equally effective but less toxic agent than salicylic acid led to the preparation of acetylsalicylic acid by Charles F. Gerhardt of Germany. The salicylic acid molecule is composed of six carbon atoms in a ring, to which are attached other compounds, such as the hydroxyl group 9 a combination of oxygen and hydrogen: OH). Gerhardt replaced the hydrogen atom (H) of the hydroxyl group with an acetyl (COCH3), thereby converting salicylic acid into acetylsalicylic acid.
In 1893 Felix Hoffmann, of the Bayer Company of Germany, developed a commercial process for the production of acetylsalicylic acid. The commercial name for this product , aspirin, is said to derive from the “a” of acetyl and the “spir” of Spirea, the botanical name of the meadowsweet plant, from which salicylic acid was first chemically isolated. The popularity of aspirin was immediate and enduring. Aspirin and closely related compounds are still found in over 400 nonprescription preparations and a re common treatment for headache and arthritis. The American public consumes up to 20 tons of aspirin annually.
Recent clinical studies have reported that low dosage of aspirin taken daily may be useful in reducing the occurrence of insufficient blood flow in vessels supplying the heart (coronary occlusion) and brain (stroke), which is caused by fatty deposits that narrow the space inside the arteries. The narrowing also increases the likelihood of obstruction by blood clots. An essential element in the formation of blood clots is the clumping together of tiny blood cells known as platelets. Aspirin has the ability to decrease platelet clumping by irreversibly inhibiting platelet function.
Aspirin also blocks the buildup of prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances believed involved in inflammation and platelet clumping, in increasing leakage of fluid from blood vessels, and inducing fever. Prostaglandins are manufactured in the body from fatty acids by enzymes called cyclo-oxygenases. Aspirin is a potent inhibitor of the cyclo-oxygenases and thus can curb the production of prostaglandins and their undesired effects.
Unfortunately, aspirin is still a common cause of poisoning among young children. Aspirin usage in children with influenza or chickenpox has also been found to increase the risk of developing Reye’s syndrome, a condition that is fatal in 20 to 40 percent of the cases.