mitomycin

noun

mi·​to·​my·​cin ˌmī-tə-ˈmī-sᵊn 

: a complex of antibiotic substances that is produced by a Japanese streptomyces (Streptomyces caespitosus)

especially : one form C₁₅H₁₈N₄O₅ that inhibits DNA synthesis and is used as an antineoplastic agent

Examples of mitomycin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Male mice in the study were exposed to one of three common anticancer drugs---cyclophosphamide, mitomycin C, or procarbazine---and then allowed to mate with untreated females. —Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 1 Feb. 2012

A shortage of the bladder-cancer drug BCG in 2014 and 2015 led to sharp price increases for a less effective alternative treatment, mitomycin, according to research published online Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine. —Peter Loftus, WSJ, 12 Apr. 2017

Word History

Etymology

probably from mito- (taken as a combining form of mitosis) + -mycin

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

mitomycin

noun

mi·​to·​my·​cin ˌmīt-ə-ˈmīs-ᵊn 

1

: a complex of antibiotic substances which is produced by a Japanese bacterium of the genus Streptomyces (S. caespitosus)

2

: a component C₁₅H₁₈N₄O₅ of mitomycin that inhibits DNA synthesis and is used as an antineoplastic in the palliative treatment of some carcinomas

called also mitomycin C