Theophylline and Related Xanthines

Abstract

The name theophylline (“divine leaf”) refers to the leaves of the tea plant which contain a small amount of theophylline. Naturally occurring methylxanthines also include theobromine found in cocoa and caffeine found in coffee beans, cocoa and cola nuts. Methylxanthines cause central nervous system stimulation, an observation traditionally attributed to an Arabian shepherd who noticed that goats played all night after eating berries of the coffee plant. Theophylline was extracted from tea leaves in 1888, its formula identified in 1895 and its bronchodilator action in animals established early this century. Although its potential value as a bronchodilator for asthma was noted in 1921, it was not evaluated systematically until the late 1930s when it came into more general use.