What is Quinine?
Quinine is a medication usually used to treat malaria and babesiosis. It is a basic amine and is usually provided as a salt. It is an alkaloid that is used to reduce fever, work against malaria, swelling, and pain.
Quinine is Obtained from Which Plant?
Quinine is extracted from the bark of the Cinchona family of trees. It is rather one of the best ways of treating malaria when other medications fail to treat it. However, for other forms of malaria, quinine is no longer used as other drugs have successfully replaced it.
It is made artificially as well, but it becomes more expensive than extracting it from nature. It is found in the Andes, South America, Indonesia, and Congo.
What is Quinine Alkaloid?
Alkaloid is basically any of the naturally occurring organic nitrogen-containing bases. It has important and diverse physiological effects on human beings. These are commonly found in plants and certain families of flowering plants as well. Plant families are particularly rich in alkaloids. Few alkaloids are also been found in animal species as well.
Alkaloids are simply the waste products of plants’ metabolic processes and also serve specific biological functions. Alkaloids protect plants from destruction by certain insect species.
Medicine of quinine is provided by the bark of the chinchona tree and is primarily used in the treatment of malaria disease.
The medicinal properties of quinine alkaloids are quite diverse.
Morphine is a powerful narcotic used for the relief of pain.
Codeine is an excellent analgesic that is relatively non-addictive. It is the methyl ether derivative of morphine found in opium poppy.
Quinidine obtained from plants of the genus Cinchona, is used to treat arrhythmias ( irregular heartbeat rhythm pattern ). The drug usually used to treat this is lobeline.
Ergonovine and ephedrine act as blood vessel constrictors.
Alkaloids such as Vincristine and Vinblastine are widely used as chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of many cancer.
Quinine Extraction
Quinine is obtained from the plant genus of about 23 species of plants and most trees. These trees are found in the madder family, native to the Andes of South America. The bark of these trees contains quinine and is useful against malaria. Quinine from Cinchona was the only effective remedy to treat malaria during World War 1.
Talking about their physical properties, these trees are evergreen with simple and oppositely arranged leaves. Its tubular flowers are small and usually creamy white or rosy in color. The petals of the flower have characteristically hairy margins and the fruit obtained is a small capsule.
History of the Usage of Quinine
Malaria is a disease that was quite unknown in the world before the arrival of Europeans. Whereas, Cinchona was fairly recognized as an effective treatment for the disease. By 1650, the shipment of Cinchona was regularly sent to Spain from its colonies. The use of Peruvian bark helped to separate malaria from other fevers and served as one of the practices of specific drug therapy. It was unclear as of which species were the best sources of Quinine source bark resulting exports were often adulterated with the bark of other trees. Around 1820, the first quinine alkaloid was introduced and described. Within 5 years, the extracted alkaloids became the standard treatment for malaria.
Nearly 4 species of Cinchona were cultivated for many years, especially in Java, also in India, and Sri Lanka as sources of Quinine and quinidine. It is mainly used for cardiac rhythmic disorders. Quinine was first synthesized in the laboratory in 1944. However, its synthesis on a commercial scale is not economically feasible.
Quinine played a significant role in the colonization of Africa by Europeans. The availability of Quinine as a drug was the main reason why Africa ceased to be known as the white man’s grave. It was quinine’s efficacy that gave colonists opportunities to swarm into Gold Coast, Nigeria, and other parts of Africa. Quinine remained the antimalarial drug of choice until World War 2. Since then, the other drugs had fewer side effects.
Also, it has other natural occurrences, the bark of Remijia contains 0.5 to 2 percent of quinine. This bark is cheaper as compared to the bark of Cinchona. It has an intense taste and is also used for making tonic water.
FAQs on Quinine
1. What is quinine and what is its natural source?
Quinine is a natural, bitter-tasting alkaloid compound known for its medicinal properties, especially as an antimalarial drug. Its primary natural source is the bark of the Cinchona tree, often called the "fever tree," which is native to the Andean forests of South America.
2. What is the main medical use of quinine as per the CBSE Biology syllabus?
In the context of the CBSE syllabus, particularly in the chapter 'Human Health and Diseases', the primary medical use of quinine is to treat malaria. It is especially effective against the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which is responsible for the most severe form of the disease. It acts as a schizonticide, targeting the parasite during its life cycle in the blood.
3. How does quinine work to fight the malaria parasite?
Quinine works by disrupting a crucial survival process of the malaria parasite inside red blood cells. The parasite digests haemoglobin, which releases a toxic substance called heme. To protect itself, the parasite converts this toxic heme into a non-toxic crystal called hemozoin. Quinine is believed to inhibit the enzyme responsible for this conversion, leading to a toxic buildup of heme that ultimately kills the parasite.
4. What are the significant side effects of using quinine as a medicine?
While effective, quinine can cause several significant adverse effects. The most common cluster of symptoms is known as cinchonism. Other major side effects can include:
- Cardiovascular problems: Serious heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias).
- Haematological issues: A dangerous drop in blood platelets (thrombocytopenia).
- Hypoglycemia: A severe decrease in blood sugar levels.
- Gastrointestinal distress: Nausea and vomiting, largely due to its intense bitterness.
5. What is cinchonism, and how is it related to quinine?
Cinchonism is a specific syndrome of symptoms caused by an overdose or sensitivity to quinine. It is a direct result of the toxicity of the alkaloids from the Cinchona tree. The symptoms are dose-dependent and can include ringing in the ears (tinnitus), headache, blurred vision, nausea, and dizziness. In severe cases, it can lead to more serious complications affecting hearing and vision.
6. If quinine is a powerful medicine, why is it found in tonic water?
The amount of quinine in modern tonic water is very small and is used only for flavouring, not for medicinal purposes. Historically, tonic water contained a much higher dose and was created in the 19th century for British officials in colonial regions to consume quinine as a preventative measure against malaria. They mixed the bitter quinine with carbonated water and sugar to make it more palatable, creating the original tonic water. Today's version retains only the characteristic bitter taste.
7. Why isn't quinine the first-choice drug for treating malaria today?
Quinine is no longer the primary drug of choice for malaria treatment for two main reasons:
- High risk of side effects: The potential for serious adverse effects like cinchonism and heart problems makes it less safe than modern alternatives.
- Development of better drugs: Newer medications, particularly Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs), are now the standard of care. ACTs are generally more effective, work faster, and have a significantly better safety profile than quinine. Quinine is now typically reserved for treating severe malaria or cases that are resistant to other drugs.
