Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents) - Volume 11, Issue 2, 2011

The Special Issue titled “SOD enzymes and their mimics in cancer: pro- vs anti-oxidative mode of action” aimed at challenging our thoughts on what is the true mechanism behind the beneficial effects we observe with redox-active compounds, both endogenous and exogenous, in different in vitro and animal models of diseases, which could help us in treating human diseases more successfully. SOD enzymes were proved essential f Read More

The family of superoxide dismutases (SODs) are well known for their antioxidant actions exerted by catalyzing the conversion of O2˙- into H2O2 plus oxygen. The importance of this action is revealed by the multiple phenotypic deficits exhibited by a variety of organisms that have been made to lack one or more of the SODs. Never the less there have been reports of deleterious consequences caused by overproduction of SOD Read More

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are a family of important antioxidant enzymes that catalyze the conversion of superoxide to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide is then detoxified by a host of antioxidant enzymes. A common misconception is that the increased MnSOD levels will result in increased hydrogen peroxide levels. Herein we offer some potential reasons for this confusion, as well as some potential resolut Read More

Mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) neutralizes the highly reactive superoxide radical (O2˙-), the first member in a plethora of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). Over the past decades, research has extended the prevailing view of mitochondrion well beyond the generation of cellular energy to include its importance in cell survival and cell death. In the normal state of a cell, endogenous antioxida Read More

Manganese superoxide dismutase (Sod2) has emerged as a key enzyme with a dual role in tumorigenic progression. Early studies were primarily directed at defining the tumor suppressive function of Sod2 based on its low level expression in many tumor types. It is now commonly held that loss of Sod2 expression is likely an early event in tumor progression allowing for further propagation of the tumorigenic phenotype resul Read More

Despite intensive efforts to improve multimodal treatment of brain tumors, survival remains limited. Current therapy consists of a combination of surgery, irradiation and chemotherapy with predisposition to long-term complications. Identifying novel targeted therapies is therefore at the forefront of brain tumor research. This study explores the utility of a manganese porphyrin in a brain tumor model. The compound used Read More

Cancer cells are particularly vulnerable to treatments impairing redox homeostasis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can indeed play an important role in the initiation and progression of cancer, and advanced stage tumors frequently exhibit high basal levels of ROS that stimulate cell proliferation and promote genetic instability. In addition, an inverse correlation between histological grade and antioxidant enzyme activi Read More

Texaphyrins, a class of tumor selective expanded porphyrins capable of coordinating large metals, have been found to act as redox mediators within biological systems. This review summarizes studies involving their experimentaluse in cancer chemotherapy. Mechanistic insights involving their presumed mode of action are also described, as well as certain structure activity relationships. Finally, newer texaphyrin-based app Read More

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to be a main cause for cancer development, but they can also be used for cancer eradication. Because of this dual nature of ROS action, both antioxidant and prooxidant therapeutic agents have been developed and some have shown clinical promise. Selective uptake of porphyrins by malignant cells has for a long time been used for tumor imaging and for targeted delivery of Read More

A concept that currently steers the development of cancer therapies has been that agents directed against specific proteins that facilitate tumorigenesis or maintain a malignant phenotype will have greater efficacy, less toxicity and a more sustained response relative to traditional cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. The clinical success of the targeted agent Imatinib mesylate as an inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase as Read More