Fludarabine

**Semantic type:** Nucleic Acid, Nucleoside, or Nucleotide|Pharmacologic Substance

**Definition:** A fluorinated nucleotide antimetabolite analog of the antiviral agent vidarabine (ara-A) with antineoplastic activity. Administered parenterally as a phosphate salt, fludarabine phosphate is rapidly dephosphorylated to 2-fluoro-ara-A and then phosphorylated intracellularly by deoxycytidine kinase to the active triphosphate, 2-fluoro-ara-ATP. This metabolite may inhibit DNA polymerase alpha, ribonucleotide reductase and DNA primase, thereby interrupting DNA synthesis and inhibiting tumor cell growth. (NCI04)

**Synonyms:** - 2-Fluoro-9-beta-arabinofuranosyladenine - 2-Fluorovidarabine - 9-Beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoro-9H-purin-6-amine - 9-Beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine - FLUDARABINE - Fluradosa - fludarabine