How does aspirin work?

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In America, more than 80 billion aspirin tablets are consumed each year. Aspirin is a trade name for acetyl salicyclic acid and is effective as an analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory drug.

History

Aspirin's predecessors, derivatives of salicylic acids, have been used to treat a variety of conditions for more than 2,500 years.

The Greek physician, Hippocrates (400BC), recommended the use of willow bark (a natural source of salicylates) to ease pain during childbirth. This use of salicylates was also advocated by Galen, a second century Roman physician, and mentioned in medical texts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

In 1757, Reverend Edward Stone conducted the first scientific study of natural sources of salicylates and wrote about the success of willow bark in the cure of fevers and aches.

Leroux showed in 1829, that salicin is the active agent in willow and was first extracted by Fontana and Brugnatelli. Salicin was concerted into Salicylic acid by the Italian chemist Piria in 1839. It was synthesised by a process discovered by Kolbe and Lautemann in 1860 which led to the introduction of Salicylic acid and sodium salicylate (forerunners of aspirin) for treatment of fever and arthiritis. However, these compounds were toxic to the stomach and caused diarrhoea and vomiting.

German chemist Felix Hoffmann was set the task by Arthur Eichengrun of Friedrich Bayer & Co in 1893, to find a less toxic alternative. Hoffmann returned with a related compound. Putting salicin through a series of chemical reactions, acetylsalicylic acid was created.
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Acetylsalicylic acid passed chemical trials and was introduced to the market in 1899 with the trade name, Aspirin.

How does aspirin work?

Prostaglandins (PGs) are chemical messengers of the immune system responsible for pain and inflammation. For example, PGE2 acts on nerve endings, causing the sensation of pain.

In the 1970's John Vane speculated that aspirin might affect Prostaglandin synthesis (associated with tissue injury) thereby reducing pain and inflammation.

Knowing that prostaglandins are made from arachidonic acid (produced by fatty acids of phospholipids in cell membranes) Vane incubated cell extracts from damaged tissues with ...

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This essay is reasonable well written, the candidate uses appropriate technical terms and there no errors with spelling or grammar. However there are times in which this essay is hard to follow, it feels very much like an amalgamation of different facts rather than a discussion. This can often be avoided if you take the time to think about what you want to say and write out a plan. It can also help to read your work as you write so that you stay on track.

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