Description
Pirarubicin is an anthracycline derivative of adriamycin that is clinically co-administered with other anticancer chemotherapeutics in the treatment of a variety of cancers. Pirarubicin is a DNA intercalator that inhibits topoisomerase II and DNA polymerase, inhibiting synthesis of DNA in vitro and in vivo. Pirarubicin induces G2 phase cell cycle arrest, inhibiting tumor growth and increasing survival rates in animal models of colon cancer. Additionally, pirarubicin induces endothelium-dependent relaxation of aortic tissue, likely due to modulation of signaling by endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF).