Definition

Noun: - An antimalarial and anthelmintic drug: Quinacrine hydrochloride is a synthetic drug, chemically known as mepacrine, historically used to treat malaria and infections caused by certain parasitic worms. It is also known for its use as a fluorescent stain in biological research.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor prescribed quinacrine hydrochloride for the patient's giardiasis.
  • Quinacrine hydrochloride was a primary treatment for malaria before the development of chloroquine.
  • In the laboratory, they used a solution of quinacrine hydrochloride to stain the chromosomes.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Medical Context: Refers to the drug's primary historical use, especially during World War II.

  • Quinacrine hydrochloride was widely distributed to troops in the Pacific theater to prevent malaria.

• Research and Diagnostic Use: Pertains to its non-therapeutic application in cytogenetics.

  • Quinacrine hydrochloride banding (Q-banding) is a technique for identifying chromosomes.

Variants and Related Words

• Quinacrine (noun): The base name for the drug, often used interchangeably with the full compound name.

  • The study compared the efficacy of quinacrine and newer antimalarials.

• Mepacrine (noun): Another name for the same chemical compound, commonly used in British English.

  • The patient's records indicated a course of mepacrine.

• Atabrine (noun): A former common trade name for quinacrine hydrochloride.

  • Atabrine was known for causing a yellowing of the skin.

Synonyms

• Antimalarial drug: A substance used to prevent or treat malaria (e.g., chloroquine, primaquine).
• Anthelmintic: A drug used to destroy parasitic worms (e.g., mebendazole, albendazole).

Related Phrases

• Q-banding: A cytogenetic technique using quinacrine hydrochloride.

  • The geneticist performed Q-banding to analyze the karyotype.

• Quinacrine fluorescence: The property of the drug to fluoresce under ultraviolet light, utilized in staining.

  • The quinacrine fluorescence clearly highlighted the Y chromosome.

Noun

1. a drug (trade name Atabrine) used to treat certain worm infestations and once used to treat malaria