ABSTRACT
Antimony has no known function in living organisms. In its trivalent and pentavalent state it has long been used for therapeutic purposes as an antibacterial, emetic, and expectorant, as well as for cosmetic purposes. Antimony preparations are poorly absorbed from the GI tract; they cause irritation of the intestinal mucosa, however, and are preferentially given parenterally. In current medical practice, pentavalent antimony is still used to treat leishmaniasis (see also Sec. B). Trivalent antimony was given intramuscularly as the potassium tartrate or dimercaptosuccinate to treat schistosomiasis, a helminthic infection, but in most recent practice it is no longer recommended because of unacceptable toxicity (1,2). More reactive with sulfhydryl groups than the pentavalent Sb compounds, the trivalent antimonials have a high cellular affinity and can inhibit enzymes such as succinic oxidase and pyruvate oxidase, and thereby interfere with cellular respiratory mechanisms. Due to this reactivity with tissue components, the trivalent antimonials are retained in the organism significantly longer than the pentavalent antimonials (3).
