Cisplatin

Question 1

What is the formula for cisplatin?

Answer 1

[PtCl2(NH3)2]

Question 2

What does cisplatin treat?

Answer 2

Cancer

Question 3

What is the first stage of using cisplatin to treat cancer?

Answer 3

a nitrogen atom on a guanine base in DNA forms a co-ordinate bond with cisplatin’s platinum ion, replacing one of the chloride ion ligands in a ligand replacement reaction

Question 4

What is the second stage of using cisplatin to treat cancer?

Answer 4

A second nitrogen atom from a nearby guanine molecule can bond to the platinum and replaced the chloride ion

Question 5

How does cisplatin treat cancer?

Answer 5

The presence of the cisplatin complex bound to the DNA causes the strands to kink, meaning they cant unwind properly and replicate properly

Question 6

What is the issue with cisplatin?

Answer 6

it binds to DNA in normal cells as well as cancer cells

Question 7

How can the side effects of cisplatin be tackled?

Answer 7

Giving lower doses

Targeting the treatment

Question 8

Even though there are negative side effects of using cisplatin, it is still used to treat cancer. Why?

Answer 8

Long-lasting positive effects outweigh the negative short-term effects

Question 9

What are the side effects of using cisplatin?

Answer 9

Lose hair as it binds to cells which replicate frequently
Blood cells are attacked so they have a weakened immune system
Can cause kidney damage