Irinotel

Irinotecan is a semisynthetic analog of camptothecin, functioning as a prodrug that is metabolized to its active form, SN-38, and serves as a topoisomerase I inhibitor in chemotherapy for various solid tumors.[1] It works by binding to the topoisomerase I-DNA complex, preventing DNA religation and causing double-strand breaks during replication, which primarily affects rapidly dividing cancer cells in the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle.[2] Originally derived from the bark of the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata, irinotecan was first approved for clinical use in Japan in 1994 for cancers including lung, cervical, and ovarian types, and received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 1996 under accelerated approval for second-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.[3][4]