Everyone Healthy medication library
Antimetabolite Drug Class
Medicines in this drug class are grouped together in the Everyone Healthy medication database. This page is educational only and should not be used as personal prescribing advice.
Drug class overview
Antimetabolite overview
Antimetabolite
An antimetabolite is a chemical that inhibits the use of a metabolite, which is another chemical that is part of normal metabolism.[1] Such substances are often similar in structure to the metabolite that they interfere with, such as the antifolates that interfere with the use of folic acid. The presence of antimetabolites can have toxic effects on cells, such as halting cell growth and cell division, so these compounds are used as chemotherapy for cancer.[2]
Function
Cancer treatment
Antimetabolites can be used in cancer treatment,[3] as they interfere with DNA production and therefore cell division and the growth of tumors. Because cancer cells spend more time dividing than other cells, inhibiting cell division harms tumor cells more than other cells.
Anti-metabolites masquerade as a purine (azathioprine, mercaptopurine) or a pyrimidine - which become the building blocks of DNA. They prevent these substances becoming incorporated in to DNA during the S phase (of the cell cycle), stopping normal development and division.[4]
They also affect RNA synthesis. However, because thymidine is used in DNA but not in RNA (where uracil is used instead), inhibition of thymidine synthesis via thymidylate synthase selectively inhibits DNA synthesis over RNA synthesis.
Due to their efficiency, these drugs are the most widely used cytostatics.
In the ATC system, they are classified under L01B.
Antibiotics
Antimetabolites may also be antibiotics, such as sulfanilamide drugs, which inhibit dihydrofolate synthesis in bacteria by competing with para-aminobenzoic acid.[5]
Types
Main representatives of these drugs are:
See also
References
- ^ Smith, A. L. (1997). Oxford dictionary of biochemistry and molecular biology. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. pp. 43. ISBN 0-19-854768-4.
- ^ Peters GJ, van der Wilt CL, van Moorsel CJ, Kroep JR, Bergman AM, Ackland SP (2000). "Basis for effective combination cancer chemotherapy with antimetabolites". Pharmacol. Ther. 87 (2-3): 227–53. PMID 11008002.
- ^ MeSH Antineoplastic+Antimetabolites
- ^ Takimoto CH, Calvo E. "Principles of Oncologic Pharmacotherapy" in Pazdur R, Wagman LD, Camphausen KA, Hoskins WJ (Eds) Cancer Management: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 11 ed. 2008.
- ^ "The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action" (2nd edition), R. B. Silverman, 2004.
External links
Linked medicines
0 medicines in this class
No linked medicines were found for this drug class in the detected link table. The drug class exists, but the drug-class-to-medicine link table may need a table-name or column-name adjustment.