J Clin Invest. 2007 Sep 4;117(9):2649-2657.
The iron chelator deferasirox protects mice from mucormycosis through
iron starvation.
Ibrahim AS, Gebermariam T, Fu Y, Lin L, Husseiny MI,
French SW, Schwartz J, Skory CD, Edwards JE, Spellberg BJ.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Los Angeles Biomedical Research
Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.
Department of Medicine and Department of Pathology, UCLA David Geffen
School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA. Charles River
Laboratories, Davis, California, USA. National Center for
Agricultural
Utilization Research, USDA, Peoria, Illinois, USA.

Mucormycosis causes mortality in at least 50% of cases despite
current
first-line therapies. Clinical and animal data indicate that the
presence of elevated available serum iron predisposes the host to
mucormycosis. Here we demonstrate that deferasirox, an iron chelator
recently approved for use in humans by the US FDA, is a highly
effective treatment for mucormycosis. Deferasirox effectively
chelated
iron from Rhizopus oryzae and demonstrated cidal activity in vitro
against 28 of 29 clinical isolates of Mucorales at concentrations
well
below clinically achievable serum levels. When administered to
diabetic ketoacidotic or neutropenic mice with mucormycosis,
deferasirox significantly improved survival and decreased tissue
fungal burden, with an efficacy similar to that of liposomal
amphotericin B. Deferasirox treatment also enhanced the host
inflammatory response to mucormycosis. Most importantly, deferasirox
synergistically improved survival and reduced tissue fungal burden
when combined with liposomal amphotericin B. These data support
clinical investigation of adjunctive deferasirox therapy to improve
the poor outcomes of mucormycosis with current therapy. As iron
availability is integral to the pathogenesis of other infections
(e.g., tuberculosis, malaria), broader investigation of deferasirox
as
an antiinfective treatment is warranted.

PMID: 17786247 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

<<snip>>
COMMENT:

Interesting. Mucor, for those that haven't seen it, is a horrible
disease. It's a sort of breadmold looking fungus that attacks some
helpless diabetic in acidosis, and eats right though the center of
the
head, out the eyes and into the brain. Something like you'd expect in
science fiction, except it's real.
<<snip>>

Who loves ya.
Tom

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