History of sulfonamide

Soon after the introduction of sulfonamide into clinical practice it was discovered that its antibacterial activity was antagonized by pus, as well as by tissue or yeast extracts. The revelation that sulfonamide was a systematically active antibacterial agent caught the attention of several companies. The first analogue was marketed in 1937 by Schering-Kahlbaum of Berlin, namely sulfacetamide.

A variety of antagonists of vitamins, hormones and cell metabolites had been synthesized after Donald Woods of Oxford University discovered in 1940 that sulfonamides exerted their antibacterial action by antagonizing the role of 4-aminobenzoic acid, a growth factor and essential for the survival parasites, be they bacteria, protozoa or viruses. Such antagonists were described as antimetabolites.

During World War II sulfonamides were used as wound dressings by the armed involved in the conflict. It has been estimated that more than 5000 sulfonamide does were prepared in the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1942, Marcel Janbon and co-workers discovered that sulfonylureas (sulfonamide derivatives) induced hypoglycemia in animals. These discoveries lead to antidiabetic drugs. These drugs use to manage Type 2 diabetes mellitus by increasing insulin release from the beta cells in the pancreas.
History of sulfonamide