The Chemical Makeup of Aspirin

• Aspirin is one of the most common over-the-counter drugs out there, and chances are you can find it in just about any medicine cabinet you open up. It reduces pain and inflammation and even has a couple other benefits, but just how does it work? Let's start by understanding the chemistry behind aspirin, which will help explain just how it affects the body and how those effects are beneficial to us. The discovery of aspirin happeneded centuries ago, essentially when ancient peoples helped relieve their pain by chewing on tree bark. A certain chemical found in willow tree bark more than the bark from other trees lessened pain and swelling. The chemical is known as salicin and its derivative, salicylic acid, was the first form of aspirin. However, it had one major drawback, which was that it caused very bad problems with the digestive system in addition to relieving pain and inflammation. The chemical makeup of salicylic acid includes a string of oxygen and hydrogen (-OH). When combined with another chemical, this string changes to one that is made up of three parts oxygen, one part hydrogen, and one part carbon (-OCOOH). This is called an acetyl group, and it greatly relieves the problems that occur in the digestive tract.
  
  

Reducing Pain and Inflammation

• The chemical that resulted from the change of the --OH string results in acetylsalicylic acid, also known as aspirin. It no longer has such a negative effect on the digestive tract, and instead is able to fulfill its number one duty, relieving pain and reducing inflammation. It does this by attaching itself to a certain enzyme, called cylooxygenase-2. The job of this enzyme is to make chemicals called prostaglandins that send signals to the brain, telling it a part of the body is in pain whenever there are damages to cells in that area. This is why it is produced en masse in damaged cells. This chemical also creates a cushion around these cells to reduce further damage, resulting in inflammation. When aspirin attaches itself to this enzyme, it is not able to make as many prostaglandins, which means the brain does not register as much pain in that area, and cushioning around the cells, and therefore inflammation, is limited.
  
  

Reducing Heart Attacks

• Aspirin has one other effect in the body that was discovered long after it was first put to use. This involves cylooxygenase-2 and prostaglandins as well, but instead of in damaged cells, it affects the enzyme and chemical when it is in the blood. Here, prostaglandins are produced to clot blood, and that is great when it helps cuts and wounds heal. However, blood clots can also happen in arteries, and this can cause heart attacks, especially in older people. Aspirin limits the prostaglandins that are produced in the blood, which reduce clotting and allow for the smoother flow of blood into the heart.