Cetyl alcohol is the 16-carbon alcohol corresponding to palmitic acid, so called because it is isolated from among the hydrolysis products of spermaceti. This medication is used as a moisturizer to treat or prevent dry, rough, scaly, itchy skin and minor skin irritations (e.g., diaper rash, skin burns from radiation therapy). Most emollients can be used safely and effectively with no side effects. However, burning, stinging, redness, or irritation may occur. A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare.

Niclosamide is an antihelminth used against tapeworm infections. It may act by the uncoupling of the electron transport chain to ATP synthase. The disturbance of this crucial metabolic pathway prevents creation of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP), an essential molecule that supplies energy for metabolism. Niclosamide works by killing tapeworms on contact. Adult worms (but not ova) are rapidly killed, presumably due to uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation or stimulation of ATPase activity. The killed worms are then passed in the stool or sometimes destroyed in the intestine. Niclosamide may work as a molluscicide by binding to and damaging DNA. Niclosamide is used for the treatment of tapeworm and intestinal fluke infections: Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm), Taenia solium (Pork Tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium latum (Fish Tapeworm), Fasciolopsis buski (large intestinal fluke). Niclosamide is also used as a molluscicide in the control of schistosomiasis. Niclosamide was marketed under the trade name Niclocide, now discontinued.

Sulfadoxine is an antimalarial agent which, together with pyrimethamine, composes an FDA-approved drug, Fansidar. Sulfadoxine acts by inhibiting dihydropteroate synthase; it crosses the blood-brain barrier and achieves 30% to 60% of the plasma concentration.

Oxamniquine is an anthelmintic with schistosomicidal activity against Schistosoma mansoni, but not against other Schistosoma spp. Oxamniquine is a potent single-dose agent for treatment of S. mansoni infection in man, and it causes worms to shift from the mesenteric veins to the liver, where the male worms are retained; the female worms return to the mesentery, but can no longer release eggs. Oxamniquine is a semisynthetic tetrahydroquinoline and possibly acts by DNA binding, resulting in contraction and paralysis of the worms and eventual detachment from terminal venules in the mesentry, and death. Its biochemical mechanisms are hypothesized to be related to an anticholinergic effect, which increases the parasite’s motility, as well as to synthesis inhibition of nucleic acids. Oxamniquine acts mainly on male worms, but also induces small changes on a small proportion of females. Like praziquantel, it promotes more severe damage of the dorsal tegument than of the ventral surface. The drug causes the male worms to shift from the mesenteric circulation to the liver, where the cellular host response causes its final elimination. The changes caused in the females are reversible and are due primarily to the discontinued male stimulation rather than the direct effect of oxamniquine

Meglumine (N-methyl-D-glucamine) is a poorly metabolized derivative of sorbitol that has regulatory acceptance as a benign excipient for drug formulation to increase aqueous solubility of lipophilic drugs and improve their absorption. In conjugated form meglumine is used as a contrast agent.

Phenylalanine is a biologically essential amino acid that acts as a precursor to tyrosine and the catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and tyramine), and is a constituent of many central nervous system neuropeptides. Normal dietary levels of phenylalanine are approximately 1-2 grams daily. Phenylalanine appears in two forms which are identical mirror images of each other: L-phenylalanine, a nutritional supplement, and D-phenylalanine, an effective painkiller and antidepressant due to its ability to inhibit the breakdown of enkephalins, the brain’s natural pain killers.

Alanine is a non-essential aminoacid encoded by GCU, GCC, GCA, and GCG codons. Besides being a building block of proteins, alanine plays a key role in glucose-alanine cycle. Alanine is medically used as a dietary supplement for conditions such as fructose intolerance, muscle atrophy, low birth weight.

BEPHENIUM HYDROXYNAPHTHOATE is an anthelmintic agent used in the treatment of hookworm and roundworm infections (Ancylostoma duodenale, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Necatore americanus). It targets the AChRs of nematodes producing spastic paralysis of the worms.

Thiabendazole (TBZ, trade names Mintezol, Tresaderm, and Arbotect) was first introduced in 1962. This drug is a fungicide and parasiticide and is indicated for the treatment of: strongyloidiasis (threadworm), cutaneous larva migrans (creeping eruption), visceral larva migrans, trichinosis: relief of symptoms and fever and a reduction of eosinophilia have followed the use of this drug during the invasion stage of the disease. But usage of this drug was discontinued. The precise mode of action of thiabendazole on the parasite is unknown, but it may inhibit the helminthspecific enzyme fumarate reductase. It was shown, also that thiabendazole reversibly disassembles newly established blood vessels, marking it as vascular disrupting agent (VDA) and thus as a potential complementary therapeutic for use in combination with current anti-angiogenic therapies. Was shown, that vascular disruption by TBZ results from reduced tubulin levels and hyper-active Rho signaling. In addition, was confirmed, that thiabendazole slowed tumor growth and decreased vascular density in preclinical fibrosarcoma xenografts and thus, it could lead directly to the identification of a potential new therapeutic application for an inexpensive drug that is already approved for clinical use in humans.

Oxybenzone is one of the more popular molecules used by chemists during the manufacturing of cosmetics and is included in sunscreen for UV protection. The chemical is often used to stabilize and strengthen the color and scent of skin care products, but its widest use is in the form of sun block. Unfortunately, the debate about the safety of oxybenzone is still ongoing. One of the biggest concerns in the medical community about the widespread use of the molecule comes from the fact that it’s easily absorbed into the body. This absorption raises concerns that oxybenzone may accumulate in the body, eventually leading to potentially toxic levels of the chemical, which can affect the endocrine system.