MECHANISM OF INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF CHELATING DRUGS ON LIPID-PEROXIDATION IN RAT-BRAIN HOMOGENATES

The mechanism of the inhibitory effects of chelators (desferrioxamine, EDTA, rutin, phenanthroline and ADP) on the production of oxygen radicals in the Fenton reaction and on lipid peroxidation of rat brain homogenates has been studied. It was found that the inhibitory effects of the chelators correlated well with their abilities to oxidize ferrous ions in solution and brain homogenates. On these grounds, it was concluded that the oxidation of Fe2+ ions inside a ferrous ion-chelator complex is a major mechanism of inhibitory effects of these chelators on free radical processes. It is proposed that this mechanism is also realized during therapeutic treatment with chelators of patients with ''free radical'' pathologies such as Fanconi anemia, beta-thalassemia and Diamond-Blackfan anemia.