Germanium is an excellent semi-conductive material. However, the role of germanium and organic germanium compounds in the human body and its other biological functions have only been studied in depth in recent decades. Germanium is one of the ultra-trace elements contained in the human body and it has a significant role in human health.
In 1887, winkler synthesized the first organic germanium compound, tetraethylgermanium, but it was not until the 1930s that organic germanium chemistry entered an important stage of development. In the 1960s, the synthesis of the organic antimony drug "Dicarboxylate Ethyldioxide", also known as C-l32, opened a prelude to the study of organic germanium compounds and the search for efficient and low-toxic drugs. Since then, scientists from various countries have successively synthesized a variety of organic germanium compounds with extensive biological activity, many of which have been used in clinical and production practices.
Organogermanium compounds have strong biological activity. Tetraethylgermanium can be used as fungicides; Triphenylchlorogermane can inhibit the activity of the growth enzymes and digestive enzymes of Valley locust. Spirulina can cause lymphoma cells to shrink because Spirulina inhibits the formation of proteins. Spirolacin has a good effect on early cancer treatment. In addition, because of its blocking effect on the ganglion, so it also has the function of lowering blood pressure. However, it is toxic to active tissues such as lymphoid tissues and bone marrow, liver, central nervous system, and blood cylinder cells. Spirulina can inhibit the proliferation of various tumors so it is a effective drug for leukemia.
G-132 is an oxygen-containing organic germanium compound. It has extremely low toxicity and is a broad-spectrum anticancer drug with obvious anticancer activity. G-132 can prevent the proliferation of ascites cancer cells, and have therapeutic effects on ascites, liver cancer and cancer of the reproductive system in rats. G-132 is a radiosensitizer with dual properties, that is, on the one hand, it has a radiosensitizing effect on tumor cells, and on the other hand, it has an axial radioprotective effect on red blood cells. G-132 is also an interferon-inducing agent that activates macrophages, induces anti-cancer interferon activity which allows macrophages to devour tumor cells. G-132 also lowers blood pressure and is a medicine for the treatment of hypertension in humans and mammals. It also can treat chronic respiratory diseases and skin diseases. It can cure skin darkening caused by pregnancy and sun exposure.
In addition, sulfur-containing organic germanium compounds also have certain biological properties. For example, tetrakis(2-amino-2-ethylaminoethyl) hydrazine is a growth promoter of cell tissues, which can control the dieseases caused by parasites, bacteria and fungi; tetrakis(i-N-carboxymethylamido)ethyl thiol hydrazine has activities of anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.
The anti-cancer mechanism of organic germanium compounds has not yet been clarified. It is generally believed that the electric potential of cancer cell is higher than that of normal, and thus it can rapidly reproduce. The organic germanium drugs are coordinated with deuterium atoms that are strongly electronegative atoms such as O, S, K. Due to the electron-withdrawing nature of the group connected to the hydrazine, the electron cloud around the helium atom is deviated from the nucleus to form a positive center and a negative center. For an abnormal cell or cancer cell, the organic germanium can seize the H in the cell, thereby lowering its potential and reducing their activity, ultimately inhibiting their reproduction or killing them.
