What is an alkylating agent in chemotherapy?
Alkylating agents were among the first anti-cancer drugs and are the most commonly used agents in chemotherapy today. Alkylating agents act directly on DNA, causing cross-linking of DNA strands, abnormal base pairing, or DNA strand breaks, thus preventing the cell from dividing.
How do alkylating agents?
How do alkylating agents work? Alkylating agents work by destroying the DNA in cancer cells. This is done by replacing alkyl groups with hydrogen atoms in the DNA so the cells can’t repair themselves. As a result, the lack of functioning DNA prevents cancer cell division and replication.
Why are alkylating agents mutagenic?
Mutagenicity is related to the ability of alkylating agents to form crosslinks and/or transfer an alkyl group to form monoadducts in DNA. The most frequent location of adducts in the DNA is at guanines. The molarities at which alkylating agents induce cell killing and mutations vary over three orders of magnitude.
What are the side effects of alkylating agents?
The most common side effects of alkylating agents include:
- hair loss (alopecia)
- anemia.
- reduced blood cell counts (pancytopenia)
- missed periods.
- reduced sperm count.
- damage to the mucosa lining in the intestines, which may cause nausea, vomiting, and other forms of gastrointestinal upset.
Which drug is an alkylator?
In medicine, alkylation of DNA is used in chemotherapy to damage the DNA of cancer cells. Alkylation is accomplished with the class of drugs called alkylating antineoplastic agents. Typical route for alkylation of benzene with ethylene and ZSM-5 as a heterogeneous catalyst.
What is an antiglycolytic agent?
— An antiglycolytic agent is a substance that prevents gylcolysis, the breakdown of glucose by blood cells. — The most common agent is sodium fluoride it preserves glucose for up t o 3 days and inhibits the growth of bacteria.
What does overalkylation mean?
Overalkylation meaning (organic chemistry) Excessive alkylation.