A folic acid antagonist used as an antineoplastic agent; used to treat psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. SYN: amethopterin.
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meth·o·trex·ate .meth-ə-'trek-.sāt n a toxic drug C20H22N8O5 that is an analog of folic acid and is used to treat certain cancers, severe psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis called also amethopterin
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n.
a drug that interferes with cell growth and is used to treat various types of cancer, including leukaemia and breast cancer (see antimetabolite). It is administered by mouth or injection; common side-effects include mouth sores, digestive upsets, skin rashes, and hair loss. Trade name: Maxtrex.
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meth·o·trex·ate (MTX) (meth″o-trekґsāt) [USP] a folic acid antagonist that acts by inhibiting synthesis of DNA, RNA, thymidylate, and protein; used as an antineoplastic in treatment of a wide variety of malignancies, including acute lymphocytic, meningeal, and acute myelocytic leukemia; gestational choriocarcinoma; chorioadenoma destruens; hydatidiform mole; carcinoma of the breast, lung, and head and neck; non-Hodgkin lymphomas; mycosis fungoides; and osteosarcoma; administered orally. It is also used as an antipsoriatic and antiarthritic in the treatment of severe, recalcitrant, disabling psoriasis and severe rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis.Medical dictionary. 2011.