Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents) - Volume 16, Issue 1, 2016

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs which regulate gene expression and silence a wide set of target genes. Aberrant miRNA expression has been described in cancer cells and is at least in part responsible of cancer initiation, development and progression. Due to their role, miRNAs have emerged as therapeutic targets or molecules suitable at the therapeutic level as well as markers of the response to chemo/radio/target Read More

Chemotherapy may still be an essential component to treat cancer in combination with new targeted therapies. But chemotherapy needs to get smarter in order to make those combination regimens more effective and also more tolerable, particularly for an aging population. We describe the first time the synthesis and pharmacological testing of a fusion molecule comprising of the alkylator bendamustine and the HDAC-inhibit Read More

Primary liver cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the majority of primary liver cancer and is the 3rd most common cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Survival rates of patients with HCC are dependent upon early detection as concomitant liver dysfunction and advanced disease limits traditional therapeutic options such as resection or ablation. Unf Read More

Recent discoveries have provided the compelling evidence that stem cell populations within each individual tumor are key contributors of therapy failure regardless of whether these populations are transient or stable. Thus, it is becoming increasingly clear that efficient tumor treatment requires eradication of the entire CSC population. The potential role of CSCs in tumor initiation and relapse has motivated an investigatio Read More

This article focuses on the possible application of antagonists of the G-protein coupled chemokine receptor, CXCR4, for the treatment of glioblastoma and summarises the evidence for CXCR4 antagonism being a viable therapeutic approach. Particular attention is paid to the role of this receptor in cancer stem cell biology, and the maintenance of CXCR4 expression by the glioblastoma key driver mutations. The expre Read More

The therapeutic potential of targeting p21-Activated Kinases (PAK1 – 6) for the treatment of cancer has recently gained traction in the biotech industry. Many pharmaceutically-viable ATP competitive inhibitors have been through different stages of pre-clinical development with only a single compound evaluated in human trails (PF-3758309). The best studied functional roles of PAK proteins are control of cell adhesion and mi Read More

Amino acids can modulate cell metabolism and control cell fate by regulating cell survival and cell death. The molecular mechanisms involved are mediated by the mTOR complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2 activity. These complexes are finely regulated and the continuous advancement of the knowledge on their composition and function is revealing that their balance may represent the condition that determines the cell fate. T Read More

The immune system plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of the integrity of an organism. Besides the protection against pathogens, it is strongly involved in cancer prevention, development and defense. This review focuses on how the immune system protects against infections and trauma and on its role in cancer development and disease. Focus is set on the interactions of the innate and adaptive immune system and tumo Read More

Cancer stands as second most common cause of disease-related deaths in humans. Resistance of cancer to chemotherapy remains challenging to both scientists and physicians. Medicinal plants are known to contribute significantly to a large population of Africa, which is to a very large extent linked to folkloric claims which is part of their livelihood. In this review paper, the potential of naturally occurring anti-cancer agents fro Read More

Background: The aim of the study was to find a role of Curcumin from natural source to overcome drug resistance as well as to reduce cytotoxicity profile of the drug in Acute Myeloid Leukemia patients. Material and Methods: Primary leukemic cells were obtained from AML patient’s bone marrow. These cells were then exposed to different concentration of cytarabine and curcumin to find out IC50 values and also its effect Read More