Metronidazole
Identification Number: CASRN | 443-48-1

  Substance Attributes

• Known Human Carcinogen

  This is a serious nasty substance. Exposure to this substance leads to cancer in Humans. Exercise extreme caution with this substance, explore your exposure routes and very seriously consider complete avoidance. See further details under Toxins.

• Carcinogenic Properties

  Accumulating evidence points to cancer potential. Exercise caution with this substance, explore your exposure routes and consider complete avoidance. See further details under Toxins.

• Metabolic Interference or Disruption

  Interferes with human metabolism. This can be a very serious thing. Some of these interference mechanics are well established. However, often long term effects and health consequences remain largely unknown. Additionally an emerging area of concern and one that is not currently studied, is the combined synergistic effects these metabolically disrupting chemicals have on human health.

  
  

  Metabolic interference happens when the substance produces highly reactive and often damaging intermediates during detoxification or when the substance binds to specific enzymes, important structural groups on molecules, receptors and membranes or targets DNA or mimics key nutrients.

• Exposure Produces Health Symptoms

  Symptoms maybe short term or long term depending on the exposure duration and intensity and effects areas like Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, Cognition, Fatigue. A substance with this attribute may cause an allergic skin reaction, serious eye irritation, allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled.

• Has known Side Effects

  This is often the result of long or short term medication use. The same medication can have a range of side effects ranging from none at all to totally debilitating symptoms within different individuals. Reasons for this include individual genetics, individual detoxification capacity, nutrition status, duration of use and total number of medications being taken.

  
  

  It becomes very difficult to establish clear causes of symptoms when multiple medications are being taken at once.

  
  

  See SIDE EFFECTS LINKOUT at end of this profile.

These attributes are ONLY based on peer-reviewed evidence. See link to Data Sources below. Everyone benefits from knowing this stuff. Please Share.

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• CATEGORIES: Medication or Drug | Household Toxin | Synthetic Toxin | PESTICIDE active ingredient | Pesticide or Plant Growth Regulator Approved in Australia | Medication Approved in Australian (on the PBS) | Medication Approved in USA
• SUBSTANCE LINEAGE: Organic Compounds | Heterocyclic Compounds | Azoles | Imidazoles | Nitroimidazoles
• SYNONYMS: 1-(2-hydroxy-1-ethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole | 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole | 1-(beta-Ethylol)-2-methyl-5-nitro-3-azapyrrole | 1-(beta-Hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole | 1-(beta-Oxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole | 1-(β-ethylol)-2-methyl-5-nitro-3-azapyrrole | 1-(β-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole | 1-(β-oxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole | 2-methyl-1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-nitroimidazole | 2-methyl-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-nitroimidazole | 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-1-ethanol | Acromona | Anabact | Arilin | Clont | Deflamon | Efloran | Elyzol | Entizol | Flagyl | Fossyol | Klion | Klont | Methronidazole | MetroCream | Metrogel | Metrogel-Vaginal | MetroLotion | Metrolyl | Metronidazol | Metronidazole Benzoate | Metronidazole in Plastic Container | Metronidazolo | Metronidazolum | Metrotop | Nalox | Nidagel | Noritate | Novonidazol | Orvagil | Protostat | Rosadan | Takimetol | Trichazole | Trichex | Trichopol | Tricowas B | Trikacide | Trikozol | Vagilen | Vagimid | Vandazole | Vertisal | Zadstat
• DESCRIPTION: A nitroimidazole used to treat amebiasis; vaginitis; trichomonas infections; giardiasis; anaerobic bacteria; and treponemal infections. It has also been proposed as a radiation sensitizer for hypoxic cells. According to the Fourth Annual Report on Carcinogens (NTP 85-002, 1985) this substance may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen.
• COMMENTS: Residues of this pesticide are NOT tested for on Australian Foods even though the Pesticide is approved in Australia. This is partly so because this pesticide is not usually used around food agriculture. | Pesticide approved in Australia
• 
• FORMULA: C6H9N3O3
• DATA SOURCES: DATA SOURCES: ARTICLE 4 | CPDB | T3DB | PubChem | IARC | NTP | OEHHA | APVMA | Drugbank | Australian Approved Medications PBS | USA FDA APPROVED DRUG PRODUCTS
• LAST UPDATE: 28/04/2018

  Health Associations

Mostly focused on Health Implications of Long Term Exposure to this substance

• SYMPTOMS: Adverse effects include reversible peripheral neuropathy with prolonged therapy, CNS toxicity, disulfiram effect with alcohol, dark red-brown urine, metallic taste, nausea, epigastric distress, dizziness, vertigo and paresthesias associated with high doses, and neutropenia (reversible and mild).
• POSSIBLE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES: | Hepatic metabolism by hydroxylation, oxidation, and glucuronidation. Half Life: 6-8 hours
• ACTION OF TOXIN: Metronidazole is a prodrug. Unionized metronidazole is selective for anaerobic bacteria due to their ability to intracellularly reduce metronidazole to its active form. This reduced metronidazole then covalently binds to DNA, disrupt its helical structure, inhibiting bacterial nucleic acid synthesis and resulting in bacterial cell death. |
• TOXIN SITES OF ACTION IN CELL: "Cytoplasm", "Extracellular", "Membrane"
• Additional Exposure Routes: For the treatment of anaerobic infections and mixed infections, surgical prophylaxis requiring anaerobic coverage, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis, Helicobacter pylori infection and duodenal ulcer disease, bacterial vaginosis, Giardia lamblia gastro-enteritis, amebiasis caused by Entamoeba histolytica, acne rosacea (topical treatment), and Trichomonas infections.
SEE MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS

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