Demecolcine, 50mg

Demecolcine, also known as colcemid, is a drug used in chemotherapy. It is closely related to the natural alkaloid colchicine with the replacement of the acetyl group on the amino moiety with methyl, but it is less toxic. Demecolcine is an antineoplastic agent used to immobilize chromosomes by inactivating the spindle fiber mechanism during metaphase. Medically Demecolcine has been used to improve the results of cancer radiotherapy by synchronising tumour cells at metaphase, the radiosensitive stage of the cell cycle. Demecolcine depolymerizes microtubules; blocks mitosis at metaphase. Often in karyotyping and cell cycle research it is desirable to increase the yield of mitotic cells in a particular phase of the cell cycle. This can be achieved in a variety of ways with the most popular being the use of a cell cycle synchronizing agent such as demecolcine. Demecolcine will arrest cells in metaphase with no remarkable effect on the biochemical events in mitotic cells or in synchronized G1 and S phase cells. White blood cells are often treated with demecolcine to arrest cells in metaphase.