Final answer:
Mitotic inhibitors such as -STINES and -TAXEL are chemotherapy drugs that interfere with the microtubules during cell division, disrupting the proper segregation of chromosomes and thus preventing cancer cell replication.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mitotic inhibitors, specifically those classified as -STINES (like Vinblastine and Vincristine) and -TAXEL (like Paclitaxel), are a group of chemotherapeutic drugs that disrupt cell division by targeting microtubules during mitosis. Agents like Vincristine bind to tubulin, the building block of microtubules, preventing their assembly into spindle fibers. This action inhibits the proper segregation of chromosomes during the metaphase of cell division, leading to cell cycle arrest.
On the other hand, Paclitaxel, a -TAXEL stabilizes microtubules and prevents their disassembly, resulting in the disruption of mitosis by blocking the progression from anaphase to telophase. These chemotherapy drugs are effective in the treatment of various cancers as they can impair rapidly dividing cells. However they can also affect normal, healthy cells that divide quickly, leading to some of the common side effects experienced during chemotherapy treatments. By interfering with microtubule dynamics, mitotic inhibitors essentially prevent cancer cells from successfully reproducing, thereby slowing down or stopping tumor growth.