Challenge Activity
Aspirin Detectives

This activity calls for the students to so some research on their own. You may assign students to work individually or in groups. A list of suggested topics is given below. With each topic is a link to small amounts of information on the topic for you to use in evaluating the student projects. On the student page, the topics are listed, each with a link from which the students can begin their research.

You may choose to have your students work individually or in groups. Each student or group of students is to be assigned a topic from the list. You may choose to issue the topics or let the students pick. If you choose to have students work in groups, we offer this suggestion: divide the class into groups of three. From the fruits of their research, one student in each group will prepare a short paper (1-2 pages typewritten), one will give a short (1-2 minutes) presentation to the class, and one will prepare a poster to be displayed in the classroom or other suitable place. Assigning each group member a specific task can help ensure that each student does a fair share of the work involved. If you choose to have the students work individually, you may assign them to write a paper, give a presentation, or prepare a poster, or any combination of the above.

Suggested research topics:

1. How did the end of World War I affect Bayer Aspirin?

   Teacher background information: During World War I, Bayer's property in the U.S. was confiscated by the U.S. government. This included Bayer's aspirin operations in the U.S. The aspirin operation, including the rights to use the name "Bayer Aspirin", was sold at auction to Sterling Drug Company. Many years later, in the 1990s, Bayer AG's U.S. subsidiary, Miles Laboratories, bought Sterling, reuniting Bayer Aspirin with its German parent company. In Canada, Miles Canada bought Sterling's Canadian branch, reuniting Bayer Aspirin with the German parent company in Canada as well.

2. How does aspirin work biologically to reduce the risk of heart attack?

   Teacher background information: Aspirin relieves pain by inhibiting the body's ability to produce prostaglandins. A particular prostaglandin called thromboxane is produced by the blood platelets, and is important in blood clotting. When prostaglandin production is inhibited, the blood's ability to clot is lessened. Since a heart attack is caused when a clot blocks the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle, reducing clotting can reduce the risk of heart attack.

3. What are the benefits and risks of taking a daily aspirin regimen?

   Teacher background information: Small daily doses of aspirin are useful in preventing heart attacks and strokes. But some people should not take daily aspirin. Some patients suffer stomach upset, and some suffer gastrointestinal bleeding. Since aspirin inhibits blood clotting, patients who are taking blood thinners or anticoagulants should not take it, nor should people suffering from hemophilia. In addition, aspirin can interact with certain prescription medications, and people taking them should consult a doctor before taking aspirin.

4. What is the "Doctrine of Signatures" and what role did it play in the development of aspirin?

   Teacher background information: The Doctrine of Signatures was popular from Renaissance times up until the end of the 1800s and proposed that plants gave external clues to what kinds of maladies they might be able to treat. The doctrine suggested that a plant shaped like a certain organ could treat diseases of that organ. Color was also thought to be a hint. Yellow plants were thought to treat jaundice, purple plants bruises, and red plants blood disorders. Astrology also figured heavily in the doctrine.

5. What is Reye syndrome and what is its connection to aspirin?

   Teacher background information: Some studies suggest that children may develop Reye syndrome when given aspirin while suffering from influenza or chicken pox. The studies have been subject to question, and no direct cause-and-effect relationship has been established between aspirin and Reye's syndrome. But since aspirin alternatives such as acetaminophen can be easily used in place of aspirin, it has been decided that children under twelve should not be given aspirin when suffering from influenza or chicken pox, just to be on the safe side. In the U.S. aspirin labels warn against giving it to children with either influenza or chicken pox.

6. APC tablets are a form of medication sold by pharmacies after World War II up to the early 1980s. These pills contained aspirin, phenacetin, and caffeine, hence the name APC. What were the benefits and risks of using this combination of drugs?

   Teacher background information: Phenacetin is an analgesic, but has been shown to be potentially damaging to the kidneys and potentially causing two kinds of anemia, hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia. It was banned by the FDA in 1983. However, scientists had long since figured out that the body metabolizes phenacetin into another compound called acetaminophen, and this is the compound that actually relieves pain. By simply using acetaminophen instead of phenacetin, one can get the pain relieving effects of phenacetin without its dangerous side effects.

   

   Caffeine does not itself relieve pain, but can sometimes enhance the pain-relieving ability of aspirin. (Likewise, caffeine is used to enhance the power of the migraine drug ergotamine.) Today some aspirin products contain caffeine, and some do not.

7. How does aspirin help reduce fevers?

   Teacher background information: It is believed that aspirin does two things to reduce fever. First, it affects the body's thermostat, located in the hypothalamus. Second, aspirin is a vasodialator, that is, it relaxes the blood vessels and makes them expand in diameter. This causes inreased blood flow throughout the body, resulting in better dissipation of heat.

8. Although Napoleon didn't use aspirin (it hadn't been discovered when he was alive), he did play a role in the historical development of aspirin. What was it?

   Teacher background information: Willow bark remedies have been used for centuries, but in Europe in the Middle Ages a growing wicker industry demanded so much willow bark that none could be spared for use in killing pain. Using willow for medicine was banned in some places, presumably where the wicker interests were in control. After Columbus, Europeans began to use quinine from Peru for killing pain. But during the Napoleonic Wars, Britain's Royal Navy blockaded mainland Europe, cutting it off from its quinine supply. To fill the need for painkillers, Napoleon encouraged a return to the use of willow bark, and invesigation into its painkilling properties was begun, which culminated in the isolation of salicin (the active compound in willow bark) in 1828 and the conversion of salicin into salicylic acid shortly thereafter.

9. What is the relationship between aspirin and cancer?

   Teacher background information: The truth is that we're not sure if aspirin can prevent cancer. Some studies have shown that people who take aspirin regularly have lower rates of colorectal cancer. Other studies show no relationship between aspirin use and cancer rates. More reseach needs to be done. If aspirin does prevent cancer, it could be because it may induce cell death in cancer cells. This is a good example of one of the many open-ended questions in science. You may want to ask your class to discuss possible ways of finding answers to this puzzle.

10. How is a migraine different from a regular headache? What medicines are used to treat migraines? Draw their molecular structures, and if possible, tell how some of these medicines work.

    Teacher background information: A migraine is a severe and recurring headache, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations of bright lights. The pain is usually concentrated on one side of the head. About twice as many women suffer from migraines as men. The cause is uncertain. Migraines are treated with drugs like ergotamine, sumatriptan, and propranolol, among others.

11. When simple painkillers like aspirin aren't enough, stronger prescription medicines like meperidine hydrochloride, methadone hydrochloride, or indomethacin may be used. What are the chemical structures for these drugs? What are the risks of using these drugs

    Teacher background information: Demerol is a trade name for meperidine hydrochloride, a narcotic analgesic. It can be addictive, and can be dangerous in patients with head injuries.

    

    Methadone hydrochloride is also a narcotic analgesic, potentially addictive, and potentially dangerous for head injury patients. Methadone can cause anxiety and respiratory problems in people with asthma. Methadone is also used to treat drug addictions.

    Indomethacin is a simple (non-narcotic) analgesic. It can cause gastrointestinal problems, certain eye disorders, and aggravate mental illnesses.