Karl Slotta
| Karl Slotta | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
May 12, 1895 Breslau |
| Died | July 17, 1987 (aged 92) Coral Gables |
| Spouse(s) | Maja Slotta |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Breslau |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Chemistry |
| Sub discipline | biochemistry |
| Institutions | Chemical Institute in Breslau, Germany, Chemistry Institute of the University of Vienna, Instituto Butantan, University of Miami |
| Notable ideas | oral contraceptive pills |
Karl Heinrich Slotta (May 12, 1895 in Breslau, Germany – July 17, 1987 in Coral Gables, Florida), was a biochemist. His discovery of progesterone and its relationship to ovulation led to the development of birth control pills.
Slotta was drafted into military service in World War I, with service reflected in German casualty lists for that period. After the war, Slotta began his hormone research at the Chemical Institute in Breslau, Germany, under the guidance of Professor Ludwig Fraenkel. Slotta obtained his PhD in chemistry from the University of Breslau in 1923 where he discovered that the biguanided metformin lowers the blood glucose concentration in rabbits. He continued post-doc work at the university with guidance from Professor Fraenkel.
In 1933, Slotta was first, or one of the first, to isolate and identify progesterone (there being four separate research labs which claim such distinction [4]).
In 1934, he proposed a correct structural formula for the hormone. While working at the Chemistry Institute of the University of Vienna, Slotta synthesized compounds, analogous to plant extract from French lilac, then used to treat symptoms of diabetes. The synthetic, marketed as Synthalin, proved less toxic and more potent than prior plant products. Slotta was appointed professor of chemistry in 1935, but, during the rise of the National Socialist regime was summarily dismissed from his position, becoming one of the legion of German scholars "displaced" by the Nazis. As persecution escalated, in 1935 he left Germany with his family for the safety of Brazil.
In Brazil, Slotta initially worked on the chemistry of coffee, from which bean oil he extracted a substance he called "cafestol" that he reported had estrogenic properties. As a result, European pharmaceutical companies sought to duplicate his work, in the hope of producing steroidal sex hormone from such an abundant and inexpensive material. The project proved unsuccessful, however, Slotta was recognized with an appointment at the Instituto Butantan, a Brazilian biomedical research center of the São Paulo State Secretary of Health, located near the campus of the University of São Paulo. In 1935 he was appointed director of the Chemical Institute, primarily engaged in the production of antivenins to treat local farmers. In time, the Institute developed basic and applied biomedical research in many areas, including molecular biology, immunology and epidemiology. The center has a graduate training program in collaboration with other institutions, in the areas of biotechnology and infectology, with research laboratories, production units and specialized library. Slotta, a sterol chemist, studied medical applications of snake venom. In 1938, Slotta and his brother-in-law Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat isolated crotoxin from venom, the first snake toxin to be isolated in crystalline form. Their research suggested that the toxicity of crotoxin was due to effects on nerve lipids. He subsequently co-founded a biopharmaceutical company.
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