cytidine analogue

A cytidine analogue is a specially designed chemical compound that mimics the natural molecule cytidine, which is a building block of DNA and RNA. These analogues can interfere with the process of DNA or RNA replication in cells, often used in medicine to target rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells or viruses. By resembling cytidine, they can incorporate into genetic material and disrupt normal cell functions, helping to inhibit the growth of diseased cells or viruses while sparing normal cells to some extent.