Maitansine (

INN Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

), or maytansine ( USAN), is a

cytotoxic agent Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') or brown recluse spider (''Loxosceles reclusa''). Cell physiology Treating cells ...

. It inhibits the assembly of

microtubule Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nm and have an inner diameter between 11 an ...

s by binding to tubulin at the

rhizoxin Rhizoxin is an antimitotic agent with anti-tumor activity. It is isolated from a pathogenic plant fungus ('' Rhizopus microsporus'') which causes rice seedling blight. Biosynthesis Rhizoxin is biosynthesised by ''Burkholderia rhizoxinica'', a ...

binding site.National Cancer Institute: Definition of Maytansine
/ref> It is a macrolide of the ansamycin type and can be isolated from plants of the genus '' Maytenus''.

Maytansinoids

Derivatives of maitansine are known as maytansinoids. Some are being investigated as the cytotoxic component of antibody-drug conjugates for cancer treatment, and the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab emtansine is an approved drug for the treatment of certain kinds of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in the EU and in the US. Examples of maytansinoids are: * Ansamitocin *

Mertansine Mertansine, also called DM1 (and #Emtansine, in some of its forms emtansine), is a thiol-containing maytansinoid that for therapeutic purposes is attached to a monoclonal antibody through reaction of the thiol group with a linker structure to creat ...

/ emtansine (DM1) *

Ravtansine Ravtansine is a component of several drug conjugates and may refer to: * Cantuzumab ravtansine * Indatuximab ravtansine Indatuximab ravtansine (BT062) is an immunomodulator and antineoplastic antibody-drug conjugate. It is the anti-CD138 chime ...

/ soravtansine (DM4)

References

Ansamycins Epoxides Halogen-containing natural products Lactams Chlorobenzenes Acetamides Microtubule inhibitors Carbamates Plant toxins {{antineoplastic-drug-stub

Maytansinoids

See also

References