Fludarabine

Biological Activity

Fludarabine(NSC 118218), a DNA synthesis inhibitor, is a chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of hematological malignancies.Fludarabine or fludarabine ph osphate (Fludara) is a chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of hematological malignancies (cancers of blood cells such as leukemias and lymphomas). It is a purine analog, which interferes with DNA synthesis. Fludarabine is highly effective in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, producing higher response rates than alkylating agents such as chlorambucil alone.Fludarabine is a purine analog, and can be given both orally and intravenously. Fludarabine inhibits DNA synthesis by interfering with ribonucleotide reductase and DNA polymerase. It is active against both dividing and resting cells. Being phosphorylated, fludarabine is ionized at physiologic pH and is effectually trapped in blood. This provides some level of specificity for blood cells, both cancerous and healthy. Fludarabine is associated with the development of severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia in a proportion of patients. Difficulties are often encountered when harvesting peripheral blood stem cells from patients previously treated with fludarabine.

Published experimental findings depend on the model and assay conditions. They do not guarantee equivalent performance in every application. For laboratory research use only.