A series of iron-clearing efficiencies (ICEs), ferrokinetics, and toxicity studies for (S)-2-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid (deferitrin, 1), (S)-4,5-dihydro-2-[2-hydroxy-4-(3,6,9-trioxadecyloxy)phenyl]-4-methyl-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid (2) and (S)-4,5-dihydro-2-[2-hydroxy-3-(3,6,9-trioxadecyloxy)phenyl]-4-methyl-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid (3) are reported. The ICEs in rodents are shown to be dose-dependent and saturable for ligands 2 and 3 and superior to 1. Both polyether analogues in subcutaneous (sc) versus oral (po) administration in rodents and primates demonstrated excellent bioavailability. Finally, in a series of toxicity studies of ligands 1-3, the dosing regimen was shown to have a profound effect in animals treated with ligand 1. When ligand 1 was given at doses of 237 µmol/kg/day twice a day (b.i.d.), there was serious proximal tubule damage versus 474 µmol/kg/day once daily (s.i.d.). With 2 and 3, in iron-overloaded and/or non-iron-loaded rodents, kidney histopathologies remained normal.Although iron comprises 5% of the earth's crust, living systems have great difficulty in accessing and managing this vital micronutrient. The low solubility of Fe(III) hydroxide (K sp = 1 × 10 −39 ), 1 the predominant form of the metal in the biosphere, has led to the development of sophisticated iron storage and transport systems in nature. Microorganisms utilize low molecular weight, virtually ferric ion-specific ligands, siderophores 2-6 higher eukaryotes tend to employ proteins to transport and store iron (e.g., transferrin and ferritin, respectively). [7][8][9] Humans absorb and excrete only about 1 mg of the metal daily; there is no effective mechanism for the excretion of excess iron. 10 In humans, nontransferrin-bound plasma iron, a heterogeneous pool of the metal in the circulation, unmanaged iron, seems to be a principal source of iron-mediated organ damage. Introduction of excess iron into this closed system, whether derived from transfused red blood cells [11][12][13] or from increased absorption of dietary iron, 14,15 leads to a build up of the metal in the liver, heart, pancreas, and elsewhere. Such iron accumulation eventually produces (i) liver disease that may progress to cirrhosis, [16][17][18] (ii) diabetes related both to iron-induced decreases in pancreatic β-cell secretion 19,20 and increases in hepatic insulin resistance, and (iii) heart disease, still the leading cause of death in thalassemia major [21][22][23] and related forms of transfusional iron overload.The toxicity associated with excess iron, whether a systemic or a focal problem, derives from its interaction with reactive oxygen species, for instance, endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). [24][25][26][27] In the presence of Fe(II), H 2 O 2 is reduced to the hydroxyl radical (HO • ), a very reactive species, and HO − , a process known as the Fenton reaction. The Fe(III) liberated can
NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript be reduced back to Fe(II) via ...