Bleomycin sulfate

Bleomycin sulfate (Blenoxane) is an anticancer agent for squamous cell carcinomas with IC50 of 4 nM in UT-SCC-19A cells. Bleomycin sulfate inhibits DNA synthesis and causes DNA scissions at specific base sequences. Bleomycin sulfate also inhibits tumor angiogenesis. Bleomycin sulfate causes single and double-strand DNA breaks in tumor cells, which interrupts the cell cycle. Bleomycin is thought to achieve this by chelating metal ions, producing a pseudoenzyme that reacts with oxygen to produce superoxide and hydroxide free radicals that cleave DNA. Bleomycin sulfate-induced telomere instability in mammalian cells persists for several generations after exposure. Moreover, the appearance of telomere fusions in Bleomycin sulfate-exposed cells 10 days after treatment suggests that Bleomycin sulfate can induce delayed telomere instability. Bleomycin has been used for the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in combination with doxorubicin, squamous cell carcinomas, testicular cancer, as well as in animal models of pulmonary fibrosis. Bleomycin sulfate plus Rituximab, Doxorubicin, Vinblastine or Dacarbazine has entered phase II clinical trial hodgkin lymphoma.