Pharmacologic Substance
methotrexate Audio
meth·o·trex·ate [ meth-oh-trek-seyt ]
Brand Names:
Otrexup; Rasuvo; Reditrex; Trexall; Xatmep
Effect:
Decreased DNA Integrity; Decreased Epithelial Proliferation; Decreased Immunologic Activity
May Treat:
Arthritis, Juvenile; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Breast Neoplasms; Choriocarcinoma; Crohn Disease; Esophageal Neoplasms; Hydatidiform Mole; Leukemia; Lung Neoplasms; Mycosis Fungoides; Osteosarcoma; Psoriasis; Stomach Neoplasms; Testicular Neoplasms
More Information:
ChemID; DrugBank; DailyMed; PDR
Definitions related to methotrexate:
  • A drug used to treat some types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and severe skin conditions, such as psoriasis. Amethopterin stops cells from making DNA and may kill cancer cells. It is a type of antimetabolite.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • An antimetabolite and antifolate agent with antineoplastic and immunosuppressant activities. Methotrexate binds to and inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, resulting in inhibition of purine nucleotide and thymidylate synthesis and, subsequently, inhibition of DNA and RNA syntheses. Methotrexate also exhibits potent immunosuppressant activity although the mechanism(s) of actions is unclear.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • An antineoplastic antimetabolite with immunosuppressant properties. It is an inhibitor of TETRAHYDROFOLATE DEHYDROGENASE and prevents the formation of tetrahydrofolate, necessary for synthesis of thymidylate, an essential component of DNA.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Folic acid antagonist that acts by inhibiting the synthesis of nucleic acids, thymidylate, and protein; used as an antineoplastic in a wide variety of malignancies, and as an antipsoriatic and antirheumatic.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Methotrexate, drug used to slow the growth of certain cancers, including leukemia, breast cancer, and lung cancer. It is also used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, a skin disease in which abnormally rapid proliferation of epidermal cells occurs. Methotrexate is an...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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