Methotrexate, ametopterin
Term
Methotrexate, ametopterin – is a group of folate antagonist immunosuppressants that block the conversion of folic acid to tetrahydrofolate. The enzyme dihydrofolate reductase binds methotrexate instead of dihydrofolate or tetrahydrofolate and loses its activity, thus inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis and cell division. Methotrexate inhibits the transformation of immunoblasts into small lymphocytes and plasma cells, which synthesize antibodies.
Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė