Stem cells nausea

Methotrexate is a valuable drug in the treatment of many rapidly growing tumors, such as those in acute leukemia and choriocarcinoma, a cancer derived from placental cells. However, methotrexate kills rapidly replicating cells whether they are malignant or not. Stem cells in bone marrow, epithelial cells of the intestinal tract, and hair follicles are vulnerable to the action of this folate antagonist, accounting for its toxic side effects, which include weakening of the immune system, nausea, and hair loss. 

In a review of the published hterature, hundreds of adverse reactions, such as nausea, chills, cardiac dysrhythmias, neurological symptoms, and respiratory arrest, have been identified in association with the transplantation of stem cells cryopreserved with DMSO [28 ]. These adverse reactions are generally accepted as commonplace, as most of them are transient, although some patients may require treatment. 

Ozdemir E, Akgedik K, Akdogan S, Kansu E. The lollipop with strawberry aroma may be promising in reduction of infusion-related nausea and vomiting during the infusion of cryopreserved peripheral blood stem cells. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2008 14(12) 1425-8. 

Patients (n = 23) who had undergone allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation were tested for efficacy and side effects resulting from deferasirox treatment due to hyperferritinemia [25 ]. The most common side effect was nausea and vomiting (n=3). 

Loss of hair results from injury to hair follicles gastrointestinal disturbances, such as diarrhea, from inadequate replacement of enterocytes whose life span is limited to a few days nausea and vomiting from stimulation of area postrema chemoreceptors (p. 330) and lowered resistance to infection from weakening of the immune system (p. 300). In addition, cytostatics cause bone marrow depression. Resupply of blood cells depends on the mitotic activity of bone marrow stem and daughter cells. When myeloid proliferation is arrested, the short-lived granulocytes are the first to be affected (neutropenia), then blood platelets (thrombopenia) and, finally, Liillmann, Color Atlas of Pharmacology... 

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