Idoxuridine is an antiviral agent use in keratitis caused by herpes simplex virus. As a prescription drug it comes as a 0.1% ophthalmic solution/drops (Herplex and Dendrid). The first studies of the compound for treatment of human herpes simplex started in early 1960s. Being a structural analog of thymidine idoxuridine inhibits viral DNA replication by substituting thymidine. The effect of idoxuridine results in the inability of the virus to reproduce and/or infect tissues. Idoxuridine also blocks viral thymidine kinase as its substrate analog.

Uramustine (INN) or uracil mustard is a chemotherapy drug which belongs to the class of alkylating agents. It is used in lymphatic malignancies such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Uracil Mustard selectively inhibits the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The guanine and cytosine content correlates with the degree of Uracil Mustard-induced cross-linking. At high concentrations of the drug, cellular RNA and protein synthesis are also suppressed. After activation, it binds preferentially to the guanine and cytosine moieties of DNA, leading to cross-linking of DNA, thus inhibiting DNA synthesis and function. The DNA damage leads to apoptosis of the affected cells. Chemically it is a derivative of nitrogen mustard and uracil.

Propiolactone (or beta-propiolactone) is a disinfectant used in vapor form to sterilize vaccines, grafts, blood plasma, surgical instruments. It has been used against bacteria, fungi, and virus. Propiolactone was first commercially available in the United States in 1958 but then was withdrawn because it was discovered that compound was a human carcinogen. The results have shown the generation of tumors in several tissues and from different administration routes. Propiolactone is a direct-acting alkylating agent that reacts with polynucleotides and DNA, mainly at N7 of guanine and N1 of adenine, to form carboxyethyl derivatives.

Furazolidone is a nitrofuran derivarive with broad antibacterial, antiprotazoal properties. It was used for the treatment of bacterial or protozoal enteritis and diarrhea, but now the drug is no longer prescibed in the US. The mechanism of furazolidone action is supposed to be mediated by its binding to bacterial DNA.

TRIETHYLENEMELAMINE, an aziridine derivative, is an alkylating agent with antineoplastic properties. Formerly it was used in the palliative treatment of the lymphomas and leukemias. Now it is used as a research tool to produce chromosome aberrations and cancers.

Nitrofurazone is used to treat burns that have become infected. It is also used to treat skin infections due to skin grafts. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. The exact mechanism of action is unknown. Nitrofurazone inhibits several bacterial enzymes, especially those involved in the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of glucose and pyruvate. The severe or irreversible adverse effects of Nitrofurazone, which give rise to further complications include Peripheral neuropathy, Thromboembolic disorder.

Urethane (Ethyl carbamate) is is an ethyl ester of carbamic acid, that has been found in many fermented food products and alcoholic beverages such as cheese, bread, yogurt, wine, whiskey, soya sauce etc. An in vitro study indicated that Urethane has a potential to inhibit the growth of bacteria, plant tissue, and rat carcinoma. Urethane has been used for many years as an antineoplastic agent for medical purposes but this application ended after it was discovered to be carcinogenic in 1943. Urethane can produce long-lasting anesthesia without affecting blood gases or blood pressure, it has been used in acute studies. In earlier studies, Urethane was also used as a co-solvent for water-insoluble analgesic and sedative drugs in Japan. By US FDA regulations, ethyl carbamate has been withdrawn from pharmaceutical use. However, small quantities of ethyl carbamate are also used in laboratories as an anesthetic for animals.

Gentian violet ((GV) hexamethyl pararosaniline, also known as crystal violet, methyl violet) is a triphenylmethane dye with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-helminithic, anti-trypanosomal, anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor properties. GV has a lengthy history and has been used successfully as monotherapy and an adjunct to treatment in a variety of diseases. Gentian violet interacts with negatively charged components of bacterial cells including the lipopolysaccharide (on the cell wall), the peptidoglycan and DNA. A similar cell penetration and DNA binding process is thought to take place for fungal cells as well. Because Gentian violet is a mutagen and mitotic poison, cell growth is consequently inhibited. A photodynamic action of gentian violet, apparently mediated by a free-radical mechanism, has recently been described in bacteria and in the protozoan T. cruzi. Evidence also suggests that gentian violet dissipates the bacterial (and mitochondrial) membrane potential by inducing permeability. This is followed by respiratory inhibition. This anti-mitochondrial activity might explain gentian violet's efficacy towards both bacteria and yeast with relatively mild effects on mammalian cells.

Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring organic compound, and an important industrial precursor to many other materials and organic compounds. Formaldehyde solution (formalin) is used as a disinfectant. Formaldehyde vapors are toxic, upon entry formaldehyde reacts readily with macromolecules, including DNA to form DNA-protein and DNA-DNA cross-links.

Cacodylic acid also known as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) has been used as a herbicide. As a part of agent blue it used to destroy broadleaf plants and trees, especially rice paddies during the Vietnam War. DMA is the major metabolite formed after exposure to tri- (arsenite) or pentavalent (arsenate) inorganic arsenic (iAs) via ingestion or inhalation in both humans and rodents. DMA induces an organ-specific lesion--single strand breaks in DNA. Mechanistic studies have suggested that this damage is due mainly to the peroxyl radical of DMA and production of active oxygen species by pulmonary tissues. Multi-organ initiation-promotion studies have demonstrated that DMA acts as a promotor of urinary bladder, kidney, liver and thyroid gland cancers in rats and as a promotor of lung tumors in mice. Thus it was shown, that DMA played a role in the carcinogenesis of inorganic arsenic.