Biguanide

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A class of organic compounds containing two linked guanidine groups used primarily as antidiabetic drugs that help lower blood sugar levels
2. Chemical substances characterized by the presence of two guanidine moieties connected in their structure, commonly employed in the treatment of type 2 diabetes
3. Molecules defined by having dual guanidine components which serve as the basis for medications designed to regulate glucose metabolism in diabetic patients

Etymology: "Biguanide" is a straightforward chemical compound name, built from the prefix "bi-", meaning "two," and "guanide," a term for a family of nitrogen-rich compounds derived from guanidine. The prefix tells you the molecule contains two guanide units joined together, which is why the name reads like a count of its parts rather than a description of its function. Guanidine itself takes its name from guano, the seabird and bat droppings that were the source of the compound when chemists first isolated it in the nineteenth century. Chemists then applied the same "-ide" ending used for many nitrogen-containing compounds, and the "bi-" prefix was added to describe the doubled structure. The result is a systematic name in the style of nineteenth- and twentieth-century chemical nomenclature rather than an older, inherited word.

Synonyms: antidiabetic agent, metformin