Antimetabolites

What are Antimetabolites?

Antimetabolites are drugs that interfere with one or more enzymes or their reactions that are necessary for DNA synthesis. They affect DNA synthesis by acting as a substitute to the actual metabolites that would be used in the normal metabolism (for example antifolates interfere with the use of folic acid).

Antimetabolites are drugs used in cancer chemotherapy. Cancer cells divide more rapidly compared to normal cells so antimetabolites affect cancer cell replication more than they affect normal cell replication.

Antimetabolites (pronounced “AN-tee-meh-TA-boh-lites”) are chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer. Chemotherapy is a common cancer treatment that sends drugs through your bloodstream to kill cancer cells and prevent tumor growth.

Antimetabolites interfere with DNA replication and cell division by causing cell death when incorporated into DNA or RNA. Antimetabolites are used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, including acute myelogenous leukemia, breast cancer, head and neck cancers, and gastrointestinal cancers.

An antimetabolite is a substance that prevents the usage of a metabolite, which is a molecule that occurs naturally in the body’s metabolism. Antimetabolites are often structurally identical to the metabolite they interfere with, such as antifolates, which interfere with the usage of folic acid.