NCIt definition : The primary bleomycin species in bleomycin sulfate, a mixture of the sulfate salts
of several basic glycopeptide antineoplastic antibiotics isolated from Streptomyces
verticillus. Bleomycin A2 forms complexes with iron that reduce molecular oxygen to
superoxide and hydroxyl radicals which cause single- and double-stranded breaks in
DNA; these reactive oxygen species also induce lipid peroxidation, carbohydrate oxidation,
and alterations in prostaglandin synthesis and degradation. (NCI04);