THE CLINICAL importance of podophyllotoxin1 has been an outgrowth of extensive use of podophyllin (podophyllum resin) within recent years. Kaplan2 in 1942 reported the topical application of podophyllin, the resin obtained from the root of Podophyllum peltatum, to be effective against condyloma acuminatum. Topical use of podophyllin has been found of value also in granuloma inguinale,3 basal-cell carcinoma,4 and scalp infections due to Microsporum lanosum and M. audouini.5 Podophyllin inhibits mitosis and acts as a direct cellular toxin.6
Sullivan,7 using chemical, biologic, and pathologic methods, found podophyllotoxin to be the active principle of podophyllin. Podophyllotoxin is a complex tricyclic substance with the formula C22H22O8, and may be inactivated by alkaline hydrolysis in both aqueous and alcoholic solutions. It inhibits the cellular respiration, in vitro, of rat lymph nodes, thymus, kidney tumor, spleen, liver, brain, and testis.8 The