Antitumor activity is possessed by antibiotics, the producers of which are various actinomycetes. An example is Olivomycin, along with Rufokromomycin, Reumitsin, and other drugs. Next, we will talk in more detail about antitumor antibiotics and find out what their mechanism of action is.
Mechanism of action
The mechanism of action consists in the ability to form an irreversible complex with DNA after intracellular activation of antitumor antibiotics, which leads to a decrease in its matrix functions, that is, to disruption of RNA synthesis processes within tumor cells.
The following features are highlighted.
- Such medications are distinguished by the fact that they simultaneously have antimicrobial and antitumor effects.
- A distinctive feature of antitumor antibiotics is also that they can be combined and combined with alkylating antitumor drugs and including antimetabolites.
- The drugs in question are distinguished by a wide spectrum of antitumor activity.
- The scope of these medical devices are all hemoblastoses and true tumors. How antitumor antibiotics work is not clear to everyone.
A characteristic side effect of this group is the cardiotoxic effect.
Herbal antibiotics
The effect of such antitumor antibiotics is based on the ability of plant alkaloids to block cell mitosis in the metaphase stage. Thus, these drugs have an antimitotic effect. The following medicines can be cited as an example.
- Medical tool "Colchamin". Due to the fact that this tool is notable for its pronounced toxicity, it is used only externally in the form of an ointment in the presence of skin cancer, when there are no metastases.
- Medicines "Vinblastine" and "Vincristine." They are used for hemoblastoses, that is, for myelosarcoma and acute leukemia, and in addition, in the presence of true tumors, for example, against the background of breast cancer, uterine chorionepithelioma, etc.
Side effects, as well as contraindications for these medications, are about the same.
Antineoplastic enzyme medicines
L-asparaginase is obtained from E. coli. L-asparaginase is able to destroy asparagine, because of this, tumor cells cannot synthesize DNA and RNA in any way. Thus, the so-called antitumor effect is achieved.
The main indication for the use of antitumor antibiotics of this series is the presence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphosarcoma. Contraindications include the presence of diseases of the nervous system along with a mental disorder.
Side effects
Side effects that can be triggered by the use of anticancer enzyme drugs include the following:
- the appearance of allergic reactions until the patient experiences anaphylactic shock;
- the occurrence of anorexia and weight loss;
- the development of depression and hyperglycemia.
Hormone-based antibiotics
These medications are used if the patient has a so-called hormone-dependent tumor that develops against a background of hormonal imbalance in the body. Such drugs can significantly change the ratio of hormones in the human body. Among other things, they can have a specific effect on tumor cells.
What is the purpose of their appointment?
The purpose of prescribing such drugs to patients, as a rule, is as follows:
- hormone imbalance balancing;
- the provision of cytostatic effects.
As an example of such funds, it is worth mentioning the most used of them, namely a medicine called Fosfestrol. Once in the body under the influence of acid phosphatase, this medical product is converted into diethylstilbestrol, which has a direct cytostatic effect.
Antitumor Antibiotics: Drug List
Here is a list of the most popular and effective tools of this group:
- "Dactinomycin";
- Mitomycin;
- "Daunorubicin";
- Doxorubicin;
- "Idarubicin";
- "Carubicin";
- "Epirubicin";
- “Rubomycin”;
- Idarubicin.
The first such antibiotic is a medical product called Dactinomycin. This medicine was developed back in 1963. In the future, thanks to the screening of microbial products, a whole series of effective antitumor chemotherapeutic drugs was discovered. Such drugs are the products of various variations of soil fungi or their synthetic derivatives.
Currently, among antitumor antibiotics, the following medical devices differ in the maximum practical application.
- A group of anthracyclines, namely anthraquinone compounds.
- A medicine called Bleomycin, which is related to phleomycin.
- The drug "Dactinomycin" acting actinomycin.
- A medication called “Mitomycin”, which is a kind of antitumor antibiotic (pictured below), characterized by an alkylating mechanism of action.
- The category of anthracycline antibiotics is one of the most effective anticancer drugs to date. Among them, it is worth noting the medicines “Daunorubicin”, “Doxorubicin”, “Idarubicin”, “Carubicin” and “Epirubicin”.
The structural base of antitumor anthracycline drugs is the tetrahydrotetracenhinone chromophore, which consists of three aromatic rings, as well as a six-membered aliphatic circle. As for the chemical characteristics, they differ from each other by substituents in the chromophore, and in addition, by the presence of a sugar residue.
Rubicin Anthracyclines
The most studied, and at the same time effective antitumor drugs, are anthracyclines related to the rubicin series.
- The medicine “Rubomycin” is a potent drug, after the introduction of which the patient may develop granulocytopenia or thrombocytopenia. In this regard, the introduction of this medication should be carried out exclusively under the control of the main indicators of blood. Immediately before the administration of this drug, the functioning of the liver and heart, as well as the kidneys, is evaluated. After the first injection of the drug, the level of leukocytes in the blood decreases in patients.
- The medicine "Idarubicin." The impact, exactly like the structure of this drug, is close to the Rubomycin medication. Often practice the use of "Idarubicin" in the presence of acute leukemia. This drug is available in capsule form for oral use. A solution for intravenous injection is also produced. The medication "Idarubicin" in the presence of acute leukemia is prescribed to adults in doses that must be calculated individually by the doctor.
- The medicine "Doxorubicin" is characterized by high immunosuppressive activity. This medication can have a depressing effect on the hematopoietic system. Due to its high toxicity, it is administered intravenously with great care, because dropping the product onto the skin can cause severe necrosis.
Thus, the antitumor antibiotics from the list above have repeatedly managed to demonstrate high efficiency in the treatment of almost all malignant tumors, but the effectiveness largely depends on the stage of the disease.