Which chemotherapy class includes drugs that interfere with DNA replication?

Antimetabolites are a class of chemotherapy drugs designed to interfere with the synthesis and function of DNA, primarily during the S phase of the cell cycle. They mimic the natural substances that cells need to grow, thus disrupting the process of DNA replication and cell division. By resembling nucleotides—the building blocks of DNA—antimetabolites can inhibit enzymes involved in DNA synthesis, leading to the cessation of cell proliferation.

While other classes, such as alkylating agents, do have mechanisms that affect DNA, their primary role is to add alkyl groups to DNA, causing cross-linking and strand breaks rather than directly mimicking the DNA building blocks. Taxanes primarily work by interfering with microtubule function, preventing cell division. Anthracyclines also interact with DNA, but mainly through intercalation and the generation of free radicals, leading to DNA damage rather than directly mimicking DNA components. Overall, antimetabolites are specifically defined by their action of disrupting the metabolic pathways necessary for DNA replication.