ABSTRACT
Chemotherapy refers to anti-cancer drug treatments. These drugs have a cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. Anti-cancer drugs interfere with the cell division in various ways, but unfortunately, they are not specific, being active also on other rapidly dividing cell types. Antimetabolites act as purines or pyrimidines, important components of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). They block the incorporation of these substances in the S phase of the cell cycle (the phase of the semiconservative replication of DNA), stopping the cell’s division. Vinca alkaloids are synthetically produced. They prevent the formation of the microtubules. Taxanes are preventing the disassembly of microtubules; therefore, the cells exposed to taxanes cannot complete the mitosis. During DNA replication and transcription processes, the newly formed DNA strain/ribonucleic acid (RNA) strain forms supercoils because of the double-helix shape of the molecule. Topoisomerase I inhibitors are obtained semisynthetically from Camptotheca acuminata – an ornamental tree.
