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Dexrazoxane
Pronunciation
Definition 1
The active ingredient in a drug used to treat severe side effects caused by certain anticancer drugs. Under the brand name Totect it is used to treat the toxic effects of an anticancer drug that leaks from a vein into surrounding tissue and causes tissue damage. Under the brand name Zinecard it is used to reduce heart damage in women given doxorubicin for breast cancer that has spread. Dexrazoxane is also being studied in the treatment of cancer. It is a type of cardioprotective agent, a type of chemoprotective agent, and a type of topoisomerase inhibitor. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
A bisdioxopiperazine with iron-chelating, chemoprotective, cardioprotective, and antineoplastic activities. After hydrolysis to an active form that is similar to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), dexrazoxane chelates iron, limiting the formation of free radical-generating anthracycline-iron complexes, which may minimize anthracycline-iron complex-mediated oxidative damage to cardiac and soft tissues. This agent also inhibits the catalytic activity of topoisomerase II, which may result in tumor cell growth inhibition. (NCI Thesaurus)