Lanthanum (La)

Lanthanum is a chemical element and rare earth metal that is primarily utilized in medicine as a phosphate binder, specifically in the form of lanthanum carbonate (PubChem CID 167127). It is not a biological target in the traditional sense, such as a receptor or enzyme; rather, it is the active component of a drug used to manage hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis (FDA Fosrenol Label). In the digestive tract, lanthanum ions released from the carbonate salt bind with high affinity to dietary phosphate, creating insoluble complexes that are eliminated in the feces. This process effectively lowers serum phosphate levels and helps prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism and renal osteodystrophy (StatPearls, Phosphate Binders). Additionally, in experimental physiology, lanthanum is frequently employed as a broad-spectrum blocker of calcium channels and other cation-selective pores due to its trivalent charge and similar ionic radius to calcium (Journal of Biological Chemistry). Because Lanthanum is an element and a drug component rather than a biological molecule targeted by other drugs, it is classified as an incorrect target in this context.

Other names

Lanthanum ionLa3+Lanthanum(III)Lanthanum carbonate

Lanthanum carbonate dissociates in the gastrointestinal tract to release lanthanum ions, which bind to dietary phosphate to form insoluble lanthanum phosphate complexes that are excreted in the feces, thereby reducing phosphate absorption.