Metacresol (m-cresol or 3-methylphenol) is colorless, yellowish liquid. It is used as a bactericide for control of crown gall and olive knot on certain fruit and nut trees and ornamentals and the genetic/physiological disorder burr knot on apples. Currently, one product is registered which contains both m-cresol and xylenol. Used as disinfectant/bacteriocide/germicide for animal pathogenic bacteria (G- and G+ vegetative) in households, sickrooms, hospitals, veterinary clinics, and veterinary hospitals; on surgical instruments, diagnostic instruments/equipment and on hospital critical rubber/plastic items. Used as an insecticide and miticide on dogs for treatment of lice and fleas. It is also used for making synthetic resins; in photographic developers, explosives. Additionally, m-cresol is chemical intermediate for thymol used in cough/cold medicinals, synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, 3-methyl-6-t-butylphenol, trinitro-m-cresol for explosives, and phenolic resins; disinfectant ingredient; ore flotation agent; solvent. m-Cresol, either pure or mixed with p-cresol, is important in the production of contact herbicides. m-Cresol is also a precursor to the pyrethroid insecticides. Furthermore, many flavor and fragrance compounds, such as (-)-methanol and musk ambrette, are derived from m-cresol. Several important antioxidants including synthetic vitamin E are produced from m-cresol. m-cresol is used as a topical dental antiseptic. m-cresol is an effective antimicrobial preservative and is used at low levels (0.3%) in multi-dose peptide and protein formulations. m-cresol has been shown to cause protein aggregation.

Amifostine is an organic thiophosphate cytoprotective agent known chemically as 2-[(3¬ aminopropyl)amino]ethanethiol dihydrogen phosphate (ester), it’s adjuvant used in cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy involving DNA-binding chemotherapeutic agents. It is marketed under the trade name Ethyol. Amifostine is a prodrug and is dephosphorylated by alkaline phosphatase in tissues to a pharmacologically active free thiol metabolite. This metabolite is believed to be responsible for the reduction of the cumulative renal toxicity of cisplatin and for the reduction of the toxic effects of radiation on normal oral tissues. The ability of Ethyol to differentially protect normal tissues is attributed to the higher capillary alkaline phosphatase activity, higher pH and better vascularity of normal tissues relative to tumor tissue, which results in a more rapid generation of the active thiol metabolite as well as a higher rate constant for uptake into cells. The higher concentration of the thiol metabolite in normal tissues is available to bind to, and thereby detoxify, reactive metabolites of cisplatin. This thiol metabolite can also scavenge reactive oxygen species generated by exposure to either cisplatin or radiation. Healthy cells are preferentially protected because amifostine and metabolites are present in healthy cells at 100-fold greater concentrations than in tumor cells.