Pain and Aspirin

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	Time: 9 hours Level: Introductory

	Introduction Introduction Resource In this unit you will find out that the sensation of pain is caused by the release of a chemical called prostaglandin that stimulates the nerve endings and sends an electrical message to the brain. Inhibiting...

	1 Ouch – that hurts! 1.1 Why does it hurt? Resource The relief or avoidance of pain must be one of the major driving forces behind medical research. In this unit we start the discussion about relief of pain.

	2 How does it hurt? 2 How does it hurt? Resource This is a useful question because once we know the mechanism of pain sensation we can do something about alleviating it.

	3 The aspirin story 3 The aspirin story Resource As long ago as 400 BC the physician Hippocrates, from the island of Kos (now a popular Greek holiday destination) prescribed a concoction made from willow leaves to help relieve the pain of childbirth....

	4 The molecules involved 4.1 Salicylic acid Resource The structural formula of salicylic acid, 2.1, looks quite complicated. However, it becomes less daunting if you unpack it a bit. One of the first things to do when confronted with an unfamiliar structure... 4.2 The functional group approach Resource It is the classification of functional groups that simplifies the study of organic chemistry (the chemistry of compounds that contain carbon). With many millions of known organic compounds, and more being... 4.3 Aspirin Resource Compare the structure of aspirin, 2.8, with that of salicylic acid, 2.7. What similarities and differences can you see?

	5 Some chemistry involving esters 5 Some chemistry involving esters Resource Esters are produced by the reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol and result from the formation of a new bond (Reaction 2.1). For example, ethyl butanoate, the major constituent of artificial pineapple...

	6 How does aspirin relieve pain? 6 How does aspirin relieve pain? Resource Aspirin acts at the site of damaged tissue to block the start of the nerve signal to the brain, the mechanism by which we experience pain (Section 2). It does this by inhibiting the formation of prostaglandin...

	7 Enzymes 7.1 Enzymes: nature's catalysts Resource It will probably come as no surprise to you that chemical reactions, including the conversion of arachidonic acid into prostaglandin, do not occur instantaneously and the rate at which they take place... 7.2 How enzymes work Resource Enzyme molecules have an ‘active site’ that is a specific shape for a given enzyme. It is here that reactant molecules are converted into products. The active site binds to and holds the reactant molecule... 7.3 Formation of prostaglandin Resource Figure 14 models the way that the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) catalyses the formation of prostaglandin from arachidonic acid. Note how important the shape of the arachidonic acid molecule is. It...

	8 Enter aspirin! 8 Enter aspirin! Resource Aspirin is able to release part of its ester group (Figure 15) in a hydrolysis reaction. Look again at the structure of aspirin, 2.8, and identify this group on the molecule. It is known as an acetyl group...

	9 Summary 9 Summary Resource In this unit you have found out that:

	References and Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Resource