Camptothecin

Camptothecin is a potent cytotoxic pentacyclic alkaloid known for its potent apoptosis inducing properties. Camptothecin and its analogs have been demonstrated to inhibit topoisomerase I (topo I), causing cells in S phase to enter into apoptosis. Camptothecin binds to and stabilizes the topo I – DNA backbone complex (covalent binary complex). This stabilized complex diminishes the rate of topo I release from the broken strand, thus slowing the religation and subsequent DNA synthesis process. Use camptothecin to create positive controls in apoptosis detection experiments.