Thiol-containing compounds for the removal of elements from tissues and formulations therefor

A method for ameliorating heavy metal toxicity in a mammal, comprising administering to the mammal a pharmaceutically effective amount of a compound having a chemical formula:

• where R1 is selected from the group consisting of benzene, pyridine, pyridin-4-one, naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene groups, R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyls, aryls, a carboxyl group, and carboxylate esters, R3 is independently selected from the group consisting of benzene alkyls, aryls, a carboxyl group, and carboxylate esters, X is independently selected from the group consisting of benzene hydrogen, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, francium, alkyls, aryls, a carboxyl group, carboxylate esters, cysteine, homocysteine, glutathione, lipoic acid, dihydrolipoic acid, thiophosphate, N-acetyl cysteine, mercaptoacetic acid, mercaptopropionic acid, γ-glutamyl cysteine, phytochelatins, and thiolsalicylate, n independently equals 1-10, m=2, 4, 5, or 6, Y is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, polymers, silicas and silica supported substrates, and Z is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyls, aryls, a carboxyl group, carboxylate esters, a hydroxyl group, NH2, HSO3, halogens, a carbonyl group, polymers, silicas and silica supported substrates;
• wherein at least one of said R3 and said X group is selected whereby a property of hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity of said compound is selectively altered, said property of hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity in turn determining whether said compound having a heavy metal bound thereto is cleared from the mammal body via a fecal route or a kidney route.