© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Exploring Protection from Methotrexate-Induced Teratogenicity in Flies
Division of Genetic Disorders, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York 12208; and Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Albany, New York 12201
1 For correspondence via fax: (518) 474-3181. E-mail: wwolfgan@wadsworth.org.
Received July 26, 2007; accepted July 27, 2007
Key Words: methotrexate; Drosophila; developmental/teratology; reproductive and developmental toxicology.
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For virtually all drug therapies, there exists a balance between efficacy and toxicity. This is particularly true in the treatment of many forms of cancer; such treatment often entails relatively nonspecific targeting of rapidly dividing cells by a variety of toxic agents. Clearly, the therapeutic efficacy of existing treatments would be improved if the toxicity of these agents could be reduced.
One such agent, methotrexate (8-amino-10-methyl-pteroyglutamic acid; MTX), has been used since the 1950s to treat childhood leukemia. The long-term value of this drug is apparent from the continued clinical reliance on it: MTX is commonly used to treat a variety of cancers including leukemia, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, and head and neck cancers. Its use has expanded to include a number of other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, asthma, and lupus. It is also utilized to terminate ectopic pregnancies and can be used to induce abortion