Pharma & Specialty Chemical Standards

Azacytidine (IUPAC: 1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-1,N2-cyano-4-amino-5-carboxamide) is a nucleoside analog with molecular formula C8H11N3O4 and molecular weight 213.19 g/mol. Structurally, it features a pyrimidine ring substituted with a cyano group at position 2 and a ribofuranosyl sugar. As a cytidine analog, it inhibits DNA methyltransferases, inducing hypomethylation and reactivating silenced genes. Therapeutically, it is used in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia. Its physicochemical properties include water solubility and a pKa of ~4.5. Mechanistically, it integrates into DNA/RNA, causing transcriptional dysregulation and apoptosis. Metabolized intracellularly, it exhibits prodrug activity via phosphorylation.