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Decitabine Research Paper

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Decitabine is a DNMT inhibitor utilized in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. It is a nucleoside analogue. It was formerly used in large doses as a cancer treatment and was found to not only be ineffective in treating cancer but had numerous, intolerable side effects. However, more recently it has been used in much smaller doses with excellent results. The smaller doses are sufficient to allow binding to DNMT after its inclusion in DNA. It disrupts the methylation of DNA elements, allowing the tumor suppressor genes to function normally. Its effects depend on cell replication which is, of course, a primary characteristic of cancer cells. Thus it is more disruptive to cancer cells than to normal cells.

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