Doxorubicin hydrochlorideProduct ingredient for Doxorubicin

Doxorubicin is a cytotoxic anthracycline antibiotic isolated from cultures of Streptomyces peucetius var. caesius along side with daunorubicin, another cytotoxic agent, in 1970.^3,39,31 Although they both have aglyconic and sugar moieties, doxorubicin's side chain terminates with a primary alcohol group compared to the methyl group of daunorubicin.³⁹ Although its detailed molecular mechanisms have yet to be understood, doxorubicin is generally thought to exert its effect through DNA intercalation, which eventually leads to DNA damage and the generation of reactive oxygen species.³¹ Thanks to its efficacy and broad effect, doxorubicin was approved by the FDA in 1974 to treat a variety of cancer, including but not limited to breast, lung, gastric, ovarian, thyroid, non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, sarcoma, and pediatric cancers.^1,31,42 However, one of the major side effects of doxorubicin is cardiotoxicity, which excludes patients with poor heart function and requires treatment termination once the maximally tolerated cumulative dose is reached.⁴⁰