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Mesna (sodium 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate) is an adjuvant used in cancer chemotherapy involving cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. It is currently marketed by Baxter as Uromitexan®.
Mesna is used therapeutically to reduce the incidence of haemorrhagic cystitis and haematuria when a patient receives ifosfamide or cyclophosphamide for cancer chemotherapy. These two anticancer agents, in vivo, may be converted to urotoxic metabolites such as acrolein. Mesna assists to neutralise these metabolites by binding through its sulfhydryl-moieties, and also increases urinary excretion of cysteine.
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