The impact of introducing a 3,6,9-trioxadecyloxyl group at various positions of the desazadesferrithiocin (DADFT) aromatic ring on iron clearance and organ distribution is described. Three DADFT polyethers are evaluated: (S)-4,5-dihydro-2- [2-hydroxy-4-(3,6,9-
trioxadecyloxy) phenyl]-4-methyl-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid [(S)-4′-(HO)-DADFT-PE, 3], (S)-4,5-dihydro-2-[2-hydroxy-5-(3,6,9-trioxadecyloxy)phenyl]-4-methyl-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid [(S)-5′-(HO)-DADFT-PE, 6], and (S)-4,5-dihydro-2-[2-hydroxy-3-(3,6,9-trioxadecyloxy)phenyl]-4-methyl-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid [(S)-3′-(HO)-DADFT-PE, 9]. The iron-clearing efficiency (ICE) in rodentsand primates is shown to be very sensitive to which positional isomer is evaluated, as is the organ distribution in rodents. The polyethers had uniformly higher ICE than their corresponding parent ligands in rodents, consistent with in vivo ligand-serum albumin binding studies. Ligand 9 is the most active polyether analogue in rodents and is also very effective in primates, suggesting a higher index of success in humans. In addition, this analogue is also shown to clear more iron in the urine of the primates than many of the other chelators. If this trend were also observed in patients, it would facilitate iron-balance studies in a clinical setting.Humans have evolved a highly efficient iron management system in which we absorb and excrete only about 1 mg of the metal daily; there is no mechanism for the excretion of excess iron. 1 Whether derived from transfused red blood cells 2-4 or from increased absorption of dietary iron, 5,6 without effective treatment, body iron progressively increases with deposition in the liver, heart, pancreas, and elsewhere. Iron accumulation eventually produces (i) liver disease that may progress to cirrhosis, 7-9 (ii) diabetes related both to iron-induced decreases in pancreatic β-cell secretion and increases in hepatic insulin resistance, 10,11 and (iii) heart disease, still the leading cause of death in thalassemia major and related forms of transfusional iron overload. 1,12,13Although 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 ), 14 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; 15,16 higher eukaryotes tend to employ proteins to transport and store iron (e.g., transferrin and ferritin, respectively). 17-19 In humans, nontransferrin-bound plasma iron, a heterogeneous pool of iron *Corresponding Author: Raymond J. Bergeron, Ph.D., Box 100485 JHMHSC, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610-0485, Phone (352) 846-1956, Fax (352) in the circulation that is not bound to the physiological iron transporter, transferrin, seems to be a principal source of iron-mediated o...