| Abstract: | Bleomycin is an antineoplastic agent that causes a dose-related lung fibrosis that limits its therapeutic effectiveness. It has been proposed that the cellular toxicity and antitumor effects of bleomycin occur by formation of O2-Fe(II)-bleomycin complexes that degrade DNA and release O2- and OH radicals that attack other cellular components. Twice daily injections of the iron chelator deferoxamine were utilized in an attempt to ameliorate bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. They failed to diminish bleomycin-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis in rats. |
