Vincaleucoblastine

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A cancer-fighting alkaloid drug obtained from the Madagascar periwinkle plant that interferes with cell division during chemotherapy
2. A chemical compound extracted from periwinkle leaves, used as an anticancer agent to halt the growth of rapidly dividing tumor cells
3. A plant-derived medication belonging to the vinca alkaloid family, employed in treating leukemias and lymphomas by disrupting cell division

Etymology: Vincaleucoblastine is a real pharmaceutical name, not gibberish, and its history is plain: it is a technical coinage built from parts that describe its source and action. "Vinca" is the genus name of the periwinkle plants (from Latin "vinca," the periwinkle), "leuco" comes from Greek "leukos," meaning white, and "blastine" is a chemical suffix from Greek "blastos," meaning sprout or germ, here used for a compound acting against cell growth. Together the name points to a substance derived from the Madagascar periwinkle, which was studied in the mid-twentieth century for its effects on white blood cells. The word belongs to the same family as vincristine and vinblastine, names given to alkaloids isolated from the same plant. The "vin-" element links them all to the periwinkle, while the ending marks each compound's particular biological effect. Like most drug names of this era, it was coined by chemists and pharmacologists rather than inherited from ancient usage, so its classical roots describe the compound's source and properties rather than reflecting any older everyday sense.

Synonyms: vinblastine