Heavy metal sequestrant
- Chelates heavy metals (arsenic, mercury, gold) into excretable complexes
- Treats acute heavy-metal poisoning
- Chelation is nonselective — essential metals are removed too
Drugs with this mechanism (1)
- Dimercaprol — Intramuscular heavy-metal chelator for arsenic, mercury, and selected severe lead poisonings; painful injections and peanut-oil formulation.
Self-check
- Name one metal chelated by this heavy-metal antidote.
Arsenic. - Are essential metals spared by this chelation?
No; they are removed too.
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