Doxorubicin

Doxorubicin INN ( /ˌdɒksəˈruːbəsɪn/; trade name Adriamycin; also known as hydroxydaunorubicin) is a drug used in cancer chemotherapy. It is an anthracycline antibiotic, closely related to the natural product daunomycin, and like all anthracyclines, it works by intercalating DNA.

Doxorubicin is commonly used in the treatment of a wide range of cancers, including hematological malignancies, many types of carcinoma, and soft tissue sarcomas.

Doxorubicin's most serious adverse effect is life-threatening heart damage.

The drug is administered intravenously, in the form of hydrochloride salt. It may be sold under the brand names Adriamycin PFS, Adriamycin RDF, or Rubex. Doxorubicin is photosensitive, and containers are often covered by an aluminum bag and/or brown wax paper to prevent light from affecting it.

The molecule was originally isolated in the 1950s from bacteria found in soil samples taken from Castel del Monte, an Italian castle.

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