User:Josie N. Harmon/Sandbox 1
From Proteopedia
Xanthine Oxidase
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6-Mercaptopurine
is metabolized hepatically by xanthine oxidase. 6-Mercaptopurine is classified as a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent frequently used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The drug belongs to a class of compounds referred to as purine antagonists that inhhibits DNA and RNA synthesis. The drug acts as a antimetabolite and incorporates itself into DNA or RNA and virtually inhibits the growth of cancer cells. The drug allopurinol, which is used to treat gout, is very similar in structure to 6-mercaptopurine and it is this similarity that makes the use of the two drugs simultaneously contraindicated. Allopurinol acts by inhibiting xanthine oxidase, the enzyme that metabolizes 6-mercaptopurine.
Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitors
Xanthine oxidase inhibitors act by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme, namely its purine metabolism activity. Inhibitors of the enzyme are commonly used in the treatment of hyperuricemia, and its corresponding medical conditions such as gout, by reducing the production of uric acid. Currently there is also investigation of the use of xanthine oxidase inhibitors in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. As previously mentioned xanthine oxidase plays an important role in purine degradation with the last step in this process resulting in the production of uric acid to be excreted from the body. This excretion; however, is not always an efficient process and there can be an abnormal accumulation of uric acid in the blood. This accumulation can come as a result of increased production by the way of a purine rich diet, decreased excretion by the way of drug interactions or genetics, or a combination of the two. The most common type of xanthine oxidase inhibitors are classified as purine analogues and consists of allopurinol and oxypurinol.
