Preferred Label : Camptothecin-20(S)-O-Propionate Hydrate;
NCIt definition : The hydrated, crystalline propionate ester (attached in position C-20) prodrug of
camptothecin, an alkaloid isolated from the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata, with
potential antineoplastic activity. Upon entry into cells, camptothecin-20(S)-O-propionate
is hydrolyzed by esterases into the active form camptothecin. Camptothecin selectively
stabilizes topoisomerase I-DNA covalent complexes, thereby inhibiting religation of
topoisomerase I-mediated single-strand DNA breaks and producing potentially lethal
double-strand DNA breaks when encountered by the DNA replication machinery, thus inhibiting
DNA replication and triggering apoptotic cell death. Camptothecin readily undergoes
hydrolysis at physiological pH, changing its conformation from the active, S-configured
lactone structure to an inactive carboxylate form. The ester chain in the vicinity
of the S-configured lactone moiety, a key determinant for the chemotherapeutic efficacy
of the camptothecins, inhibits protein binding, rendering this agent resistant to
hydrolysis and prolonging its half-life.;
Molecule name : CZ48;
NCI Metathesaurus CUI : CL412415;
Origin ID : C84857;
UMLS CUI : C2827534;
Semantic type(s)
- concept_is_in_subset
- has_target
