The key difference between metabolites and antimetabolites is that metabolites are chemical substances that are useful in breaking down food, drugs, and chemicals in the body or its tissues, whereas antimetabolites are chemical substances that can inhibit the use of a metabolite.
The terms metabolite and antimetabolite are used in the context of biochemistry. They have modes of action that are opposite to each other; for example, antimetabolites tend to inhibit the function of a metabolite in metabolism.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Metabolites
3. What are Antimetabolites
4. Metabolites vs Antimetabolites in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Metabolites vs Antimetabolites
What are Metabolites?
Metabolites are chemical substances that can be found as intermediate or in the form of end products of metabolism. However, the term metabolite is typically used for small molecules. Moreover, these chemical substances have many different functions, such as fuel, structure, and signaling applications, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, defensive mechanisms for different interactions that involve other organisms in the form of pigments, odorants, and pheromones, etc.
There are two types of metabolites; they are primary metabolites and secondary metabolites. The former is involved directly with the normal growth, development, and reproduction of an organism, whereas the latter is not directly involved in these processes. For example, ethylene is a primary metabolite used for industrial purposes as well, while antibiotics are an example of secondary metabolites.
Figure 01: Metabolites of Racecadotril
Moreover, a metabolite forms either inherently from chemical compounds or through a pharmaceutical process as a stage of the natural biochemical process known as the degradation and elimination of compounds. Therefore, the rate of degradation or elimination is important in determining the presence or absence of metabolites in the body and their amounts as well.
What are Antimetabolites?
Antimetabolites are chemical substances that act against metabolites. It can inhibit the use of a metabolite in metabolism. Often, these substances are structurally similar to the metabolite that it is going to inhibit and interact with. The presence of this type of chemical substance can cause toxicity in cells. This toxicity can pause cell growth and cell division. This leads the antimetabolites to be considered chemotherapeutic agents for cancer.
Figure 02: Deoxycytidine is a building block of DNA while Gemcitabine and Decitabine are anti-metabolite drugs used to treat cancer
As a cancer treatment agent, antimetabolite compounds can interfere with DNA production. DNA production can cause cell division and tumor growth. This is because the cancer cells spend a lot of time in cell diving and growing, which makes antimetabolites excellent for inhibiting cell growth in tumors. The most common types of cancers that we can use antimetabolites to treat include leukemia, breast cancers, ovarian cancers, and cancers in the gastrointestinal tract.
What is the Difference Between Metabolites and Antimetabolites?
Metabolites and antimetabolites are chemical substances and small molecules that are significant for the functions inside the body. The key difference between metabolites and antimetabolites is that metabolites are chemical substances useful in breaking down food, drugs, and chemicals in the body or its tissues, whereas antimetabolites are chemical substances that can inhibit the use of a metabolite.
Below is a summary of the difference between metabolites and antimetabolites in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Metabolites vs Antimetabolites
Metabolites are chemical substances that can be found as intermediate or in the form of end products of metabolism. Antimetabolites are chemical substances that act against metabolites. It can inhibit the use of a metabolite in metabolism. The key difference between metabolites and antimetabolites is that metabolites are chemical substances useful in breaking down food, drugs, and chemicals by the body or its tissues, whereas antimetabolites are chemical substances that can inhibit the use of a metabolite.
Reference:
1. “What Are Antimetabolite Medicines for Cancer?” WebMD.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Racecadotril metabolites” By Anypodetos – Own work, based on File:Racecadotril2DCSD.svg (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Deoxcytidine, Gemcitidine and Decitabine” By Simon Caulton – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia