mercaptopurine

[ mer-kap-toh-pyoo r-een ]

/ mərˌkæp toʊˈpyʊər in /

noun Pharmacology.

a yellow, crystalline, water-insoluble powder, C5H4N4S, used in the treatment of leukemia.

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Origin of mercaptopurine

First recorded in 1950–55; mercapto + purine

Words nearby mercaptopurine

mercaptan, mercaptide, mercapto, mercapto group, mercapto-, mercaptopurine, mercapturic acid, mercast, mercat, mercator, mercator projection

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for mercaptopurine

mercaptopurine

/ (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

Medical definitions for mercaptopurine

mercaptopurine

[ mər-kăp′tō-pyur′ēn ]

n.

A purine analog that acts as an antimetabolite by interfering with purine synthesis, used primarily in the treatment of acute leukemia.