Etoposide, 500 mg

From STEMCELL Technologies, this small molecule is a chemotherapeutic agent and an inhibitor of topoisomerase II (IC50 = 60.3 μM). Topoisomerase II facilitates the proliferation of eukaryotic cells by forming double-stranded breaks in DNA to allow another double-stranded segment to pass through, then religating the broken strands. The compound prevents topoisomerase II from religating broken DNA strands, leading to errors in DNA synthesis and promoting apoptosis in cancer cells. It has also been used to trigger and model cellular senescence in vitro.

With a chemical formula of C29H32O13 and a molecular weight of 588.6 g/mol, the compound is supplied as a white powder. Reported purity is ≥ 98%. It is stable at -20°C as supplied for 12 months from date of receipt, and STEMCELL recommends storing small molecules away from direct light. For long-term storage, store with a desiccant. The compound is soluble in DMSO at concentrations ≤ 40 mM; as a guide, preparing a 10 mM stock solution in DMSO requires resuspending 10 mg in 1.70 mL of DMSO. Stock solutions should be prepared fresh before use, and final DMSO concentration above 0.1% should be avoided due to potential cell toxicity. The compound has low solubility in aqueous media.

Published cancer research applications include inhibition of proliferation of adenocarcinoma and human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVEC) cells, inhibition of growth of a murine angiosarcoma cell line (ISOS-1), induction of cellular senescence in normal and cancer cells, and support of treatment and disease modeling of small cell lung cancer. Alternative names: NSC 141540 and VP-16. CAS Number: 33419-42-0. A California Proposition 65 warning applies: this product can expose users to a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. The product is for research use only and is not intended for human or animal diagnostic or therapeutic uses.