Anthracyclines

Doxorubicin, sold under the brand name Adriamycin among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat cancer. This includes breast cancer, bladder cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, lymphoma, and acute lymphocytic leukemia. It is often used together with other chemotherapy agents. Doxorubicin is given by injection into a vein.

Daunorubicin, also known as daunomycin, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat cancer. Specifically it is used for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and Kaposi's sarcoma. It is administered by injection into a vein. A liposomal formulation known as liposomal daunorubicin also exists.

Epirubicin is an anthracycline drug used for chemotherapy. It can be used in combination with other medications to treat breast cancer in patients who have had surgery to remove the tumor. It is marketed by Pfizer under the trade name Ellence in the US and Pharmorubicin or Epirubicin Ebewe elsewhere.

thumb|Doxorubicin as an intercalating agent. Two doxorubicin molecules intercalated within DNA.

Idarubicin or 4-demethoxydaunorubicin is an anthracycline antileukemic drug. It inserts itself into DNA and prevents DNA unwinding by interfering with the enzyme topoisomerase II. It is an analog of daunorubicin, but the absence of a methoxy group increases its fat solubility and cellular uptake. Similar to other anthracyclines, it also induces histone eviction from chromatin.

Amrubicin (INN; previously known as SM-5887) is an anthracycline used in the treatment of lung cancer. It is marketed in Japan since 2002 by Sumitomo under the brand name Calsed.

Nogalamycin is an anthracycline antibiotic produced by the soil bacteria Streptomyces nogalater. It has antitumor properties but it is also highly cardiotoxic. The less cardiotoxic semisynthetic analog menogaril was developed in the 1970s. Currently nogalamycin and menogaril are not used clinically.

Aclarubicin (INN) or aclacinomycin A is an anthracycline drug that is used in the treatment of cancer in China. It was previously approved for use in Europe but was discontinued in 2004 due to being rarely prescribed and unprofitable.

Pirarubicin (INN) is an anthracycline drug. An analogue of the anthracycline antineoplastic antibiotic doxorubicin. Pirarubicin intercalates into DNA and interacts with topoisomerase II, thereby inhibiting DNA replication and repair and RNA and protein synthesis. This agent is less cardiotoxic than doxorubicin and exhibits activity against some doxorubicin-resistant cell lines.

Menogaril is an anthracycline analog of nogalamycin which was developed in late 1970s. It has even stronger anticancer activity, and less toxicity, than nogalamycin. However, its development for clinical use was cancelled due to only moderate success with relatively high incidence of serious toxicity (43-44% in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients).

Zorubicin (INN) is a benzoylhydrazone derivative of the anthracycline antineoplastic antibiotic daunorubicin. Zorubicin intercalates into DNA; it as well interacts with topoisomerase II and inhibits DNA polymerases and therefore is used to treat cancer.

Carubicin is an anthracycline.

Valrubicin (N-trifluoroacetyladriamycin-14-valerate, trade name Valstar) is a chemotherapy drug used to treat bladder cancer. Valrubicin is a semisynthetic analog of the anthracycline doxorubicin, and is administered by infusion directly into the bladder.