Vinblastine, derived from C. roseus, also known as V. rosea, a Madagascar periwinkle, is an antimicrotubule drug used to treat certain cancers, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-small cell lung, breast, head and neck, and testicular cancer. Like its chemical analog vincristine, vinblastine binds tubulin, inhibiting the assembly of microtubules and causing M phase-specific cell cycle arrest by disrupting microtubule assembly and proper formation of the mitotic spindle. It has been shown to inhibit steady-state tubulin addition to microtubules with a Ki value of 0.18 μM, inhibit B16 melanoma cell proliferation with an IC50 value of 1 nM, and produce complete inhibition of L-cell proliferation at 40 nM. Vinblastine is reported to be an effective component of certain chemotherapy regimens, particularly when used with bleomycin and methotrexate in vinblastine, bleomycin, and methotrexate combination chemotherapy for Stage IA or IIA Hodgkin lymphomas.
