Toxicity and Adverse Effects of Clinically Used Chelating Agents

Toxicity and Adverse Effects of Clinically Used Chelating Agents 

Chelating agents, like all chemical compounds, exhibit toxic effects. These can arise from the fact that they increase the excretion of essential trace elements or from more subtle interactions. Thus all compounds which contain sulfhydryl compounds are capable of causing allergic reactions, such as the skin rash reported for DMSA (Grandjean et al. 1991), or the numerous problems which may arise from the continued administration of d-penicillamine such as nephrotic syndrome and anuria (Dubois et al. 1990). The administration of EDTA by itself may result in tetany due to the rapid drop in serum calcium which results, this being the reason for its customary administration as the calcium complex. 

---