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Book

Mesna

In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Mesna

Vamsi Reddy et al.
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Excerpt

This program discusses mesna (sodium 2-mercapto-ethane sulfonate), a detoxifying agent employed to avert hemorrhagic cystitis in patients undergoing chemotherapy with high-dose cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide. The discussion centers on mesna's distinctive mechanism of action wherein it undergoes initial inactivation to dimesna (mensa disulfide) within the bloodstream. Once filtered through the kidneys and subsequently excreted into the bladder, mesna undergoes reactivation. In the bladder, the reactivated mesna detoxifies acrolein, a urotoxic byproduct of ifosfamide and cyclophosphamide, thereby mitigating the risk of hemorrhagic cystitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Vamsi Reddy declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Nicole Winston declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

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    1. Jaiswal SR, Singhal P, Thatai A, Bhagwati G, Aiyer HM, Chakrabarti A, Chakrabarti S. Impact of extended infusional mesna prophylaxis on the incidence of BK viruria and hemorrhagic cystitis following post-transplantation cyclophosphamide and CTLA4Ig-based haploidentical transplantation. Ann Hematol. 2020 Apr;99(4):839-845. - PubMed
    1. Ismi O, Karabulut YY, Bal KK, Vayisoglu Y, Unal M. Single dose intratympanic mesna application inhibits propylene glycol induced cholesteatoma formation. J Laryngol Otol. 2017 Mar;131(3):215-220. - PubMed
    1. Carassiti M, Di Martino A, Centonze A, Quattrocchi CC, Caldaria A, Agrò F, Denaro V. Failed back surgery syndrome: a new strategy by the epidural injection of MESNA. Musculoskelet Surg. 2018 Aug;102(2):179-184. - PubMed
    1. de la Torre González C, Huante-Guido M, Velázquez Guadarrama N, Preciado D, Patiño López G. Changes in biofilm in chronic cholesteatomatous otitis media in children following the application of sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate (MESNA). Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2018 Jul;110:48-52. - PubMed

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