Cytotoxic agent

Cytotoxic agents are a group of drugs that have the ability to kill cells that are dividing. They are also known as antineoplastic drugs. These agents are used in chemotherapy to treat cancer because they can kill rapidly dividing cancer cells.

Mechanism of Action

Cytotoxic agents work by disrupting the cell division process (the cell cycle), thereby preventing the proliferation of cells that are undergoing division or growth. They achieve this by damaging the DNA or the cellular machinery used for cell division.

Types of Cytotoxic Agents

There are several types of cytotoxic agents, each with a different mechanism of action. These include:

• Alkylating agents: These agents work by attaching an alkyl group to the DNA's guanine base, which prevents the DNA strands from uncoiling and separating. This makes it impossible for the DNA to replicate.
• Antimetabolites: These agents mimic the natural molecules that are necessary for DNA synthesis, thereby inhibiting the synthesis of new DNA strands.
• Antitumor antibiotics: These agents bind directly to DNA, inhibiting the synthesis of new DNA and preventing cell division.
• Topoisomerase inhibitors: These agents interfere with the action of topoisomerase, an enzyme that plays a key role in DNA replication.
• Mitotic inhibitors: These agents prevent the cells from undergoing mitosis (cell division).

Side Effects

The use of cytotoxic agents can lead to several side effects, as these drugs can also affect normal cells that divide rapidly. These side effects can include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Hair loss
• Fatigue
• Anemia
• Increased risk of infection

See Also

• Chemotherapy
• Cancer
• DNA
• Cell cycle

Cytotoxic agent Resources
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