Chemical Properties
white; crystal(s) powder(s) [MER06]
Uses
Regulator (calcium).
Brand name
Ganite (Genta).
General Description
White crystals.
Air & Water Reactions
Deliquescent. Water soluble.
Reactivity Profile
Oxidizing agents, such as GALLIUM NITRATE, can react with reducing agents to generate heat and products that may be gaseous (causing pressurization of closed containers). The products may themselves be capable of further reactions (such as combustion in the air). The chemical reduction of materials in this group can be rapid or even explosive, but often requires initiation (heat, spark, catalyst, addition of a solvent). Explosive mixtures of inorganic oxidizing agents with reducing agents often persist unchanged for long periods if initiation is prevented. Such systems are typically mixtures of solids, but may involve any combination of physical states. Some inorganic oxidizing agents are salts of metals that are soluble in water; dissolution dilutes but does not nullify the oxidizing power of such materials. Organic compounds, in general, have some reducing power and can in principle react with compounds in this class. Actual reactivity varies greatly with the identity of the organic compound. Inorganic oxidizing agents can react violently with active metals, cyanides, esters, and thiocyanates.
Fire Hazard
Flash point data for GALLIUM NITRATE are not available, but GALLIUM NITRATE is probably combustible.
Description
Gallium nitrate, initially developed as an anticancer agent, was introduced by Fujisawa
as an orphan drug for the treatment of cancer-related hypercalcemia and bone
metastases that do not respond to adequate hydration. The compound acts specifically
on bone by inhibiting calcium resorption and also possibly by stimulating bone
formation. Compared with calcitonin and etidronate, gallium nitrate is more potent and
substantially longer acting. Other potential uses could be in the treatment of
osteoporosis and Paget’s disease.
Originator
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (U.S.A.)
Pharmaceutical Applications
In clinical trials, gallium nitrate has proved to be highly active as an antitumour agent especially against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and bladder cancer. The cytotoxic activity of gallium nitrate has been demonstrated as single agent and as part of combination therapy, for example, together with fluorouracil. Gallium nitrate shows a relatively low toxicity and does not produce myelosuppression, which is a significant advantage over other traditional anticancer agents. Furthermore, it does not appear to show any cross-resistance with conventional chemotherapeutic agents.
These studies have also shown that gallium nitrate is able to decrease serum calcium levels in patients with tumour-induced hypercalcaemia. Subsequently, several studies have been carried out comparing traditional bisphosphonate drugs with gallium nitrate in their ability to decrease the calcium levels that are elevated as a result of cancer. Based on the clinical efficacy, gallium nitrate injections (GaniteTM) was granted approval by the FDA for the treatment of cancer-associated hypercalcaemia. Gallium nitrate is also believed to inhibit the bone turnover and therefore to decrease osteolysis, the active reabsorption of bone material, in patients with bone metastasis secondary to other cancers.
Carcinogenicity
Studies on the antitumor activity
of gallium nitrate have shown that it is particularly active
against solid tumors. It has demonstrated antitumor
activity in a variety of murine tumor models, including Walker carcinosarcoma 256, fibrosarcoma M-89, leukemia
K-1964, adenocarcinoma 755, mammary carcinoma YMC,
reticulum cell sarcoma A-RCS, lymphoma P1798, and osteosarcoma
124F.
