Combination therapy with probucol prevents adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy

Adriamycin (doxorubicin) is a broad spectrum anti-tumor antibiotic used to treat cancer patients. However, the potential usefulness of this drug is currently limited by the development of a dose-dependent cardiomyopathic process terminating in severe heart failure. Although several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the pathogenesis of adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy, free-radical induced oxidative stress appears to play an important role. A concise description of adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy is provided. Various combination therapies which have been attempted in the past to modulate the adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy are also discussed. Recently, it has been discovered that probucol, a lipid lowering agent and potent antioxidant, provides complete protection against adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy in rats without interfering with the anti-tumor properties of this antibiotic. Clinical trials employing adriamycin therapy in combination with probucol are needed to determine the applied value of these laboratory findings.