Abstract
Anthracycline antibiotics are of particular value in the therapy of malignant diseases and exert profound effects not only on tumor cells but also on cells in the cardiovascular system. These quinone drugs affect vascular tone by a multitude of mechanisms, including acute modulation of Ca2+ homeostasis, altered expression of membrane proteins and enzymes that are involved in the control of smooth muscle contraction, and generation of autoregulatory mediators, such as nitric oxide and endothelin. Anthracyclines interfere with blood coagulation-fibrinolysis balance due to its effects on the production of prostacyclin, plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor in the endothelium. Moreover, anthracyclines are thought to be the modulators of angiogenesis. The intensity and quality of anthracycline actions on blood vessel function are highly variable and may depend not only on the chemical structure of anthracycline but also on the type of blood vessel as well as the metabolic and redox status of the vascular tissue. Vascular actions of anthracyclines are possibly involved in both beneficial as well as toxic and undesirable side-effects such as tumor progress. Further investigations are required to clarify the relation between specific modifications of vascular cell function and clinical events observed during antineoplastic therapy with anthracyclines.
Keywords: angiogenesis, anthracyclines, antineoplastic agents, endothelin, nitric oxide, oxidative stress, vasoconstriction, vasodilation
Current Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Vascular Actions of Anthracycline Antibiotics
Volume: 10 Issue: 5
Author(s): Ichiro Wakabayashi and Klaus Groschner
Affiliation:
Keywords: angiogenesis, anthracyclines, antineoplastic agents, endothelin, nitric oxide, oxidative stress, vasoconstriction, vasodilation
Abstract: Anthracycline antibiotics are of particular value in the therapy of malignant diseases and exert profound effects not only on tumor cells but also on cells in the cardiovascular system. These quinone drugs affect vascular tone by a multitude of mechanisms, including acute modulation of Ca2+ homeostasis, altered expression of membrane proteins and enzymes that are involved in the control of smooth muscle contraction, and generation of autoregulatory mediators, such as nitric oxide and endothelin. Anthracyclines interfere with blood coagulation-fibrinolysis balance due to its effects on the production of prostacyclin, plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor in the endothelium. Moreover, anthracyclines are thought to be the modulators of angiogenesis. The intensity and quality of anthracycline actions on blood vessel function are highly variable and may depend not only on the chemical structure of anthracycline but also on the type of blood vessel as well as the metabolic and redox status of the vascular tissue. Vascular actions of anthracyclines are possibly involved in both beneficial as well as toxic and undesirable side-effects such as tumor progress. Further investigations are required to clarify the relation between specific modifications of vascular cell function and clinical events observed during antineoplastic therapy with anthracyclines.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Wakabayashi Ichiro and Groschner Klaus, Vascular Actions of Anthracycline Antibiotics, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2003; 10 (5) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867033368259
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867033368259 |
Print ISSN 0929-8673 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-533X |

- Author Guidelines
- Bentham Author Support Services (BASS)
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements