Table 1 Selected aminoacridines and their typical applications
Acridine orange | A cationic cytochemical stain specific for cell nuclei, especially DNA. It is used as a supravital stain and in fluorescence cytochemistry. It may cause mutations in microorganisms. |
Acriflavine | 3,6-Diamino-10-methylacridinium chloride mixture. with 3,6-acridinediamine. Fluorescent dye used as a local antiseptic and also as a biological stain. It intercalates into nucleic acids thereby inhibiting bacterial and viral replication. |
Aminacrine | A highly fluorescent anti-infective dye used clinically as a topical antiseptic and experimentally as a mutagen, due to its interaction with DNA. It is also used as an intracellular pH indicator. |
Amsacrine | Aminoacridine derivative that is a potent intercalating antineoplastic agent. It is effective in the treatment of acute leukemias and malignant lymphomas, but has poor activity in the treatment of solid tumors. It is frequently used in combination with other antineoplastic agents in chemotherapy protocols. It produces consistent but acceptable myelosuppression and cardiotoxic effects. |
Ethacridine | A topically applied anti-infective agent. |
Nitracrine | Acridine antineoplastic agent used in mammary and ovarian tumors. It inhibits RNA synthesis. |
Proflavine | 3,6-Diaminoacridine. Topical antiseptic used mainly in wound dressings. |
Tacrine | A cholinesterase inhibitor that crosses the blood-brain barrier. Tacrine has been used to counter the effects of muscle relaxants, as a respiratory stimulant, and in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other central nervous system disorders. |
Quinacrine | An acridine derivative formerly widely used as an antimalarial but superseded by chloroquine in recent years. It has also been used as an anthelmintic and in the treatment of giardiasis and malignant effusions as well as a form of contraception/sterilization. It is used in cell biological experiments as an inhibitor of phospholipase A2. |