Department of Physiology, The "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.
Akadimia of Ancient Greek and Traditional Chinese Medicine, 16675 Athens, Greece.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 12;19(8):4669. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19084669.
Antimony has been known and used since ancient times, but its applications have increased significantly during the last two centuries. Aside from its few medical applications, it also has industrial applications, acting as a flame retardant and a catalyst. Geologically, native antimony is rare, and it is mostly found in sulfide ores. The main ore minerals of antimony are antimonite and jamesonite. The extensive mining and use of antimony have led to its introduction into the biosphere, where it can be hazardous, depending on its bioavailability and absorption. Detailed studies exist both from active and abandoned mining sites, and from urban settings, which document the environmental impact of antimony pollution and its impact on human physiology. Despite its evident and pronounced toxicity, it has also been used in some drugs, initially tartar emetics and subsequently antimonials. The latter are used to treat tropical diseases and their therapeutic potential for leishmaniasis means that they will not be soon phased out, despite the fact the antimonial resistance is beginning to be documented. The mechanisms by which antimony is introduced into human cells and subsequently excreted are still the subject of research; their elucidation will enable us to better understand antimony toxicity and, hopefully, to improve the nature and delivery method of antimonial drugs.
锑自古以来就为人所知并被使用，但在过去两个世纪中，其应用显著增加。除了少数医学应用外，它还有工业应用，用作阻燃剂和催化剂。在地质上，锑是罕见的，主要存在于硫化物矿石中。锑的主要矿石矿物是辉锑矿和脆硫锑铅矿。广泛的开采和使用导致锑进入生物圈，其生物利用度和吸收度取决于其在生物体内的危害性。现已有针对活跃和废弃矿区以及城市环境的详细研究，记录了锑污染对环境和人体生理学的影响。尽管锑具有明显的毒性，但它也被用于一些药物中，最初是酒石酸锑钾，后来是锑剂。后者用于治疗热带疾病，其对利什曼病的治疗潜力意味着，尽管锑剂耐药性开始得到记录，它们也不会很快被淘汰。锑进入人体细胞并随后被排出的机制仍在研究中；阐明这些机制将使我们能够更好地了解锑的毒性，并希望改善锑剂药物的性质和给药方式。
