| Health / Medical Topics |
Leucovorin
Pronunciation
Definition 1
The active ingredient in a drug used to lessen the toxic effects of substances that block the action of folic acid, especially the anticancer drug methotrexate. Leucovorin is used to treat some types of anemia and is also used with fluorouracil to treat colorectal cancer. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer and other conditions. Leucovorin is a form of folic acid. It is a type of chemoprotective agent and a type of chemosensitizing agent. Also called folinic acid. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
A derivative of folic acid with chemoprotectant, antidote and synergistic activity. Leucovorin does not require metabolism by dihydrofolate reductase, the molecular target of folate antagonist-type chemotherapeutic drugs, and is converted to a tetrahydrofolate, which is the necessary folate for purine and pyrimidine synthesis. As this agent allows for some purine/pyrimidine synthesis to occur, the toxic effects of folic acid antagonist-type chemotherapeutic drugs are counteracted while still permitting the antitumor activity of the folic acid antagonist through dihydrofolate reductase inhibition. This agent also potentiates the effects of 5-fluorouracil and its derivatives by stabilizing the binding of 5-fluorouracil's converted form fluorodeoxyuridylic acid to its target enzyme thymidylate synthase, thus prolonging drug activity. (NCI Thesaurus)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
