Optimal dithiocarbamate structure for immunomodulator action.

While the commercially available sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC) has been used by several groups in the treatment of AIDS patients, chemical evidence suggests that other dithiocarbamates which are more stable at pH 7.4 might prove to be quite superior for this purpose. Of these other compounds, sodium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) and sodium di-n-propyldithiocarbamate (DPDTC) which have much longer half lives at pH 7.4, are expected to exhibit similar lipophilicity to DEDTC but superior stability towards hydrolysis. They can be expected to be superior to DEDTC, especially for oral administration.