Biochem/physiol Actions
Cell-permeable anthracycline antitumor antibiotic. Antineoplastic. A stereoisomer of doxorubicin that exhibits reduced cardiotoxicity. Its antitumor actions are mediated by targeting topoisomerase II.
Epirubicin is antimitotic and cytotoxic. It inhibits nucleic acid and protein synthesis. Epirubicin may do so by forming complexes with DNA and intercalation between base pairs, by inhibiting topoisomerase II activity by stabilizing the DNA-topoisomerase II complex, and by preventing the religation portion of the ligation-religation reaction that topoisomerase II catalyzes. It inhibits DNA helicase activity.
Application
Epirubicin is a cell-permeable anthracycline antitumor antibiotic. It is a stereoisomer(4′-epi-isomer) of doxorubicin that exhibits reduced cardiotoxicity. It is used to inhibit topoisomerase II and DNA helicase activity. Epirubicin is used to study metastatic breast cancer1and cardiac toxicity2.