Procarbazine

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

**Definition:** A methylhydrazine derivative with antineoplastic and mutagenic activities. Although the exact mode of cytotoxicity has not been elucidated, procarbazine, after metabolic activation, appears to inhibit the trans-methylation of methionine into transfer RNA (t-RNA), thereby preventing protein synthesis and consequently DNA and RNA synthesis. This agent may also undergo auto-oxidation, resulting in the formation of cytotoxic free radicals which damage DNA through an alkylation reaction.

**Synonyms:** - Benzethyzin - Ibenzmethyzin - N-(1-methylethyl)-4-[(2-methylhydrazino)methyl]benzamide - N-4-isopropylcarbamoylbenzyl-N'-methylhydrazine - N-Methylhydrazine - N-isopropyl-alpha-(2-methylhydrazino)-p-toluamide - PROCARBAZINE - Procarbazin - p-(N'-methylhydrazinomethyl)-N-isopropylbenzamide - procarbazine