The preparation acriflavinium chloride was developed by I.G. Farben during the 1920s. Initially, the active ingredient was used for the treatment of wound infections in the mouth and throat. However, due to its mode of action, there is concern that acriflavinium chloride could cause cancer. The active ingredient is therefore no longer used in human medicine, but is used in veterinary medicine in the treatment of ornamental fish.
What is acriflavinium chloride?
The active ingredient is no longer used in human medicine because it could cause cancer, but it continues to be used in veterinary medicine in the treatment of ornamental fish. Acriflavinium chloride is an active ingredient consisting of a mixture of substances for which a patent application was filed as early as 1929 by the chemical company I.G. Farben. It is an antiseptic that was used for the treatment of infections in the mouth and throat and against sleeping sickness. Since a study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that acriflavinium chloride may promote the development of cancer, the drug is no longer used in human medicine. However, acriflavinium chloride is widely used by aquarium owners, who use it to disinfect aquariums as well as to treat various diseases in fish. Basically, acriflavinium chloride is classified in the action group of antiseptics, although in the narrower sense it is used as a disinfectant.
Pharmacological action
The spread of viruses and bacteria is prevented by acriflavinium chloride, as the active ingredient is deposited in the DNA of the pathogen between two base pairs. During the next cell division, a so-called screen mutation occurs, which alters the genetic material of the pathogens. Similar to antibiotics, this can lead to resistance of various strains of viruses and bacteria, because the insertion of the active ingredient triggers a mutation that can continue. Acriflavinium chloride is particularly effective against gram-positive bacteria. These bacterial strains discolor during microscopic examination in a manner defined by Hans Christian Gram, which facilitates the diagnosis of the pathogen in various infectious diseases. Gram-positive bacteria are mostly Actinobacteria or Firmicutes, which play an important role in nature for the degradation of pollutants, but frequently appear as pathogens. Because acriflavinium chloride not only attacks the bacteria and viruses, but also unfolds its mechanism of action in the cells of the human body, it can also lead to mutations of individual cells. This is especially true with repeated use.
Medical application and use
The active ingredient acriflavinium chloride plays an important role in veterinary medicine in the treatment of ornamental fish. Treated here are a variety of diseases such as bacterial infections, fungal infections, fin rot, or minor inflammations. Here, the preparation is applied externally by simply adding it to the aquarium water. In addition to adult fish, fish spawn affected by an infection can also be treated with acriflavinium chloride. The preparation also promises effective help against various harmful parasites, including gill and skin worms. Acriflavinium chloride weakens infections that have already broken out and can prevent the outbreak of new infections. Therefore, the preparation is also used to disinfect aquariums. Aquarium owners should take care to clean filters before adding acriflavinium chloride to the water. In pond management, acriflavinium chloride also plays an important role as an effective preparation. Here it belongs to the standard remedy, which is given to quarantine ponds, even if the fish suffer from other diseases. This is because these can promote the development of infections in weakened fish. By using acriflavinium chloride, the pond keeper has the assurance that at least some of the fish population can be saved.
Risks and side effects
Among the most common disadvantages associated with acriflavinium chloride is a yellowish discoloration of the water. In addition, aquatic plants may be damaged or killed. Because the active ingredient also penetrates the cells of the diseased fish, acriflavinium chloride administration can cause infertility in some fish species such as guppies.For this reason, the preparation may no longer be used in human medicine in Germany because it is one of the trigger factors for various types of cancer. The mutagenic effect of acriflavinium chloride also means that numerous pathogens have now developed partial or complete resistance. In the long term, therefore, the compound may become ineffective against complete strains of bacteria and viruses, as is already the case with antibiotics.
