Purines
| Definition: |
A series of heterocyclic compounds that are variously substituted in nature and are known also as purine bases. They include ADENINE and GUANINE, constituents of nucleic acids, as well as many alkaloids such as CAFFEINE and THEOPHYLLINE. Uric acid is the metabolic end product of purine metabolism. |
Purines Categories.
 |
Adenine - A purine base and a fundamental unit of ADENINE NUCLEOTIDES. |
 |
Allopurinol - A XANTHINE OXIDASE inhibitor that decreases URIC ACID production. It also acts as an antimetabolite on some simpler organisms. |
 |
Purinones |
 |
Saxitoxin - A compound that contains a reduced PURINE ring system but is not biosynthetically related to the purine alkaloids. It is a poison found in certain edible mollusks at certain times; elaborated by GONYAULAX and consumed by mollusks, fishes, etc. without ill effects. It is neurotoxic and causes RESPIRATORY PARALYSIS and other effects in MAMMALS, known as paralytic SHELLFISH poisoning. |
 |
Thioguanine - An antineoplastic compound which also has antimetabolite action. The drug is used in the therapy of acute leukemia. |
 |
Zeatin - An aminopurine factor in plant extracts that induces cell division. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dict, 5th ed) |
Purines Definitions and Terms
MedicalGlossary.org is designed as a free, browsable resource for all. The medical terms and definitions are not intended to replace medical informaion provided by licensed healthcare professionals. Please see a doctor if you need medical assistance. Don't see the medical term you were researching? Send us an e-mail from our "about us" page. We will do our best to research and classify new medical terms in a timely manner. Our current list of medical terms is over 26,000. Data sources include the U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2004 Medical Subject Headings.
|