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Characteristics
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A nucleoside analog of deoxycytidine used in chemotherapy to treat various types of cancer. Gemcitabine is converted intracellularly to the active metabolites difluorodeoxycytidine di- and triphosphate (dFdCDP, dFdCTP). dFdCDP inhibits ribonucleotide reductase, thereby decreasing the deoxynucleotide pool available for DNA synthesis, dFdCTP is incorporated into DNA, resulting in DNA strand termination and apoptosis.
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