mercaptopurine

American

[mer-kap-toh-pyoor-een] / mərˌkæp toʊˈpyʊər in /

noun

Pharmacology.

a yellow, crystalline, water-insoluble powder, C 5 H 4 N 4 S, used in the treatment of leukemia.

mercaptopurine British

/ məˌkæptəʊˈpjʊəriːn /

noun

a drug used in the treatment of leukaemia. Formula: C 5 H 4 N 4 S

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mercaptopurine

First recorded in 1950–55; mercapto + purine

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Investigators will look closely at the pricing of key medical ingredients such as melphalan, mercaptopurine and tioguanine, used to treat cancers of the blood and immune systems.

From BBC

No more doses of mercaptopurine — also hidden in applesauce — every day after school.

From Washington Post

The product labels for Remicade and Humira have been updated and the product labels for azathioprine and mercaptopurine were being updated to include warnings about HSTCL, the FDA said on its website.

From Reuters

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023