Deferoxamine (DFOA), also known as desferrioxamine and sold under the brand name Desferal, is a medication that binds

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

and

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

. It is specifically used in iron overdose,

hemochromatosis Iron overload or hemochromatosis (also spelled ''haemochromatosis'' in British English) indicates increased total accumulation of iron in the body from any cause and resulting organ damage. The most important causes are hereditary haemochromatosi ...

either due to multiple

blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but mo ...

s or an underlying

genetic condition A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosomal abnormality. Although polygenic disorders ...

, and aluminium toxicity in people on dialysis. It is used by injection into a muscle,

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated ...

, or under the skin. Common side effects include pain at the site of injection, diarrhea, vomiting, fever,

hearing loss Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken l ...

, and eye problems. Severe

allergic reactions Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derm ...

including

anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of use of emergency medication on site. It typically causes more than one of the follo ...

and low blood pressure may occur. It is unclear if use during

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ...

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that bre ...

is safe for the baby. Deferoxamine is a siderophore from the bacteria '' Streptomyces pilosus''. Deferoxamine was approved for medical use in the United States in 1968. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

Medical uses

Deferoxamine is used to treat acute iron poisoning, especially in small children. This agent is also frequently used to treat

, a disease of iron accumulation that can be either genetic or acquired. Acquired hemochromatosis is common in patients with certain types of chronic

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...

(e.g.

thalassemia Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by decreased hemoglobin production. Symptoms depend on the type and can vary from none to severe. Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin). Anemia can resul ...

and

myelodysplastic syndrome A myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is one of a group of cancers in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature, and as a result, do not develop into healthy blood cells. Early on, no symptoms typically are seen. Later, symptoms may ...

) who require many

s, which can greatly increase the amount of iron in the body. Treatment with iron-chelating drugs such as deferoxamine reduces mortality in persons with sickle cell disease or β‐thalassemia who are transfusion dependent. Administration for chronic conditions is generally accomplished by

subcutaneous injection Subcutaneous administration is the insertion of medications beneath the skin either by injection or infusion. A subcutaneous injection is administered as a bolus into the subcutis, the layer of skin directly below the dermis and epidermis, c ...

over a period of 8–12 hours each day. Administration of deferoxamine after acute intoxication may color the urine a pinkish red, a phenomenon termed "''vin rosé'' urine". Apart from iron toxicity, deferoxamine can be used to treat

toxicity (an excess of aluminium in the body) in select patients. In US, the drug is not FDA-approved for this use. Deferoxamine is also used to minimize doxorubicin's cardiotoxic side effects and in the treatment of a patient with aceruloplasminemia. Deferoxamine maybe effective for improving neurologic outcomes in persons with

intracranial hemorrhage Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), also known as intracranial bleed, is bleeding within the skull. Subtypes are intracerebral bleeds (intraventricular bleeds and intraparenchymal bleeds), subarachnoid bleeds, epidural bleeds, and subdural blee ...

, although the evidence supporting the efficacy and safety for this indication was weak. Some published manuscripts suggesting the use of deferoxamine for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 because of the high level of ferritin among them.

Adverse effects

It is unclear if use during

is safe for the baby. Chronic use of deferoxamine may increase the risk of

in patients with thalassemia major. Chronic use of deferoxamine may cause ocular symptoms, growth retardation, local reactions and allergy.

Mechanism

Deferoxamine is produced by removal of the trivalent iron moiety from ferrioxamine B, an iron-bearing sideramine produced by the actinomycetes, '' Streptomyces pilosus''. Its discovery was a serendipitous result of research conducted by scientists at Ciba in collaboration with scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the University Hospital in Freiburg, Germany Deferoxamine acts by binding free iron in the bloodstream and enhancing its elimination in the

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellul ...

. By removing excess iron from persons with

, the agent reduces the damage done to various organs and tissues, such as the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...

. Also, it speeds healing of nerve damage (and minimizes the extent of recent nerve trauma). Deferoxamine may modulate expression and release of inflammatory mediators by specific cell types.

Research

Deferoxamine is being studied as a treatment for spinal cord injury and intracerebral hemorrhage. It is also used to induce hypoxia-like environment in mesenchymal stem cells.

References

{{portal bar, Medicine Siderophores Antidotes Hydroxamic acids World Health Organization essential medicines Amines Carboxamides Chelating agents used as drugs Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate

Medical uses

Adverse effects

Mechanism

Research

See also

References