Triazenes
Dacarbazine, a triazene, functions as an alkylating drug after being activated by the liver.
Pharmacokinetics
After I.V. injection, dacarbazine is distributed throughout the body and metabolized in the liver. Within 6 hours, 30% to 46% of a dose is excreted by the kidneys (half is excreted unchanged, and half is excreted as one of the metabolites).
Dysfunction junction
In patients with kidney or liver dysfunction, dacarbazine’s half-life may increase to 7 hours.
Pharmacodynamics
Dacarbazine must first be metabolized in the liver to become an active drug. It seems to inhibit ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein synthesis. Like other alkylating drugs, dacarbazine is cell cycle’nonspecific.
Pharmacotherapeutics
Dacarbazine is used primarily to treat patients with malignant melanoma but is also used with other drugs to treat patients with Hodgkin’s disease.
Drug interactions
No significant drug interactions have been reported with dacarbazine. (See Adverse reactions to triazenes.)
Warning!Adverse reactions to triazenes
Dacarbazine use may cause some adverse reactions, including:
- leukopenia
- thrombocytopenia
- nausea and vomiting (which begin within 1 to 3 hours after administration in most patients and may last up to 48 hours)
- phototoxicity
- flulike symptoms
- hair loss.
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