Question

Which of the following are sulpha drugs? (This question has multiple correct options)
A) Sulphapyridine
B) Prontosil
C) Salvarsan
D) Nardil

Answer 1

Hint:
Sulpha drugs are the synthetic antibiotic which contains sulfonamide molecular structure. One needs to know the drug structure of all the options to identify the sulpha drugs.

Complete answer:
There are many sulpha drugs which have sulfonamide as the basic structure. Let’s discuss the given options one by one,
1) Sulphapyridine: It is an antibacterial drug that contains sulphanilamide as its constituent. It was widely used for antibacterial medication and later discontinued for humans. Hence, it is a sulfa drug.
2) Prontosil: It is an antibacterial drug that contains sulfonamide groups. It has great effectiveness against gram-positive cocci. It is one of the earliest antimicrobial drugs and the first drug which contains the sulfa drug. Hence, it is a sulfa drug.
3) Salvarsan: This drug is also known as arsphenamine. This is an organoarsenic compound and it was the first modern antimicrobial agent. This drug was used as the first effective treatment for syphilis and African trypanosomiasis. Hence, it is not a sulpha drug.
4) Nardil: Nardil is used to treat atypical depression in adults. It is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Hence, it is not a sulpha drug.

Additional information:
Sulpha drugs contain the sulfonamide group as the functional group. The synthetic antimicrobial drugs were the original sulpha drugs. Some sulphonamides lack the activity as antimicrobial activity. Sulphonamides can be said as bacteriostatic which means they are used to inhibit the growth and multiplication of the bacteria.

Note:
Sulfa drugs were one of the first chemical drugs which were used to treat and prevent bacterial infections in humans. One needs to remember the drugs which are called sulpha drugs.