Camptothecin is an anti-cancer agent that damages DNA, leading to the destruction of the cell. Camptothecin affects the activity of the enzyme topoisomerase I, whose normal action is to cleave, unwind, and religate DNA. When camptothecin binds to topoisomerase I, it will be able to cleave but not to religate DNA. Thereby, camptothecin causes single strand breaks in DNA.

External links

• Camptothecin Project From the Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research

Chemotherapeutic agents