Pralatrexate

**Semantic type:** Organic Chemical|Pharmacologic Substance

**Definition:** A folate analogue inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) exhibiting high affinity for reduced folate carrier-1 (RFC-1) with antineoplastic and immunosuppressive activities. Pralatrexate selectively enters cells expressing RFC-1; intracellularly, this agent is highly polyglutamylated and competes for the folate binding site of DHFR, blocking tetrahydrofolate synthesis, which may result in depletion of nucleotide precursors; inhibition of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis; and apoptotic tumor cell death. Efficient intracellular polyglutamylation of pralatrexate results in higher intracellular concentrations compared to non-polyglutamylated pralatrexate, which is more readily effuxed by the MRP (multidrug resistance protein) drug efflux pump. RFC-1, an oncofetal protein expressed at highest levels during embryonic development, may be over-expressed on the cell surfaces of various cancer cell types.

**Synonyms:** - (2S)-2-[[4-[(1RS)-1-[(2, 4-Diaminopteridin-6-yl)methyl]but-3-ynyl]benzoyl]amino]pentanedioic Acid - 10-Propargyl-10-Deazaaminopterin - 10-propargyl-10-deazaaminopterin - Difolta - FOLOTYN - Folotyn - N-(4-{1-[(2,4-Diaminopteridin-6-yl)methyl]but-3-yn-1-yl}benzoyl)-L-glutamic Acid - PDX - PRALATREXATE - pralatrexate