deoxyribonuclease I

Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) is a hydrolytic enzyme that catalyzes the endonucleolytic cleavage of extracellular double-stranded DNA into 5'-phosphodinucleotide and 5'-phosphooligonucleotide end products. In its recombinant human form, known as dornase alfa (marketed as Pulmozyme), it is widely used as an inhaled mucolytic therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis to reduce the viscosity of purulent sputum and improve pulmonary function. Beyond cystic fibrosis, systemic and intravenous formulations of DNase I are being actively investigated for their ability to degrade neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and cell-free chromatin in conditions such as acute ischemic stroke, sepsis, and various cancers (including pancreatic cancer and large B-cell lymphoma in combination with CAR-T cell therapies).

Brand names

DornavacPulmozyme

Other names

deoxyribonuclease IDNase IDNase-Idornase alfarecombinant human deoxyribonuclease IrhDNase I