PMID: 16641894Apr 28, 2006Paper

The role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in calcium and iron homeostasis dysregulation in anthracycline cardiotoxicity

Postȩpy higieny i medycyny doświadczalnej
Jarosław Dudka

Abstract

Anthracyclines are potent anticancer agents which have been used in therapy for 40 years. However, their activity is very limited due to their cumulative, dose-dependent, chronic cardiotoxicity. The cardiotoxic effect of anthracyclines may lead to irreversible and incurable cardiomyopathy, which impairs quality of live and increases the risk of death. The most prominent feature of this cardiac disease is diminished ejection fraction of the left ventricle, which leads to congestive heart failure. Reactive oxygen species, alcoholic metabolites of anthracycline, and cellular calcium homeostasis dysregulation cause chronic anthracycline cardiotoxicity. Recently, an important role for reactive nitric species and iron homeostasis deregulation was suspected. Some reactive oxygen and nitric species might react with one another to produce new, highly toxic products. It is suggested that after anthracycline administration, reactive oxygen and nitric species affect cellular calcium and iron homeostasis deregulation. The possible connection between reactive oxygen and nitric species and calcium and iron deregulation is presented in the paper.

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