Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents) - Volume 6, Issue 5, 2006

Drinking green tea is associated with decreased frequency of cancer development. This review outlines the wide range of mechanisms by which epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC) and other green and black tea polyphenols inhibit cancer cell survival. EGCG suppressed androgen receptor expression and signalling via several growth factor receptors. Cell cycle arrest or apoptosis involved caspase activation and altered Bcl- Read More

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, is a fundamental process during cancer progression. Anti-angiogenic strategies have been pursued for cancer treatment and prevention of cancer recurrence and metastasis. Integrins are a family of cell adhesion molecules consisting of two non-covalently bound transmembrane subunits (α3 and β). Much research has demonstrated that Read More

Natural products have played a significant role in drug discovery and development especially for agents against cancer and infectious disease. An analysis of new and approved drugs for cancer by the United States Food and Drug Administration over the period of 1981-2002 showed that 62% of these cancer drugs were of natural origin. Natural compounds possess highly diverse and complex molecular structures compared to Read More

In addition to the potential stem cells offer for regenerative medicine, they also rapidly are becoming a center of focus in oncology. There are several developmental pathways that are involved in the deregulated signaling in stem cells resulting in tumorigenesis. For example, aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway has been associated with numerous malignancies including basal cell carcinoma, medulloblast Read More

There is significant evidence that both angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and type 1 and type 2 angiotensin 2 (A2) receptor blockers may inhibit tumor growth. The finding is supported by many reports where these two classes of drugs showed cytostatic effects on the cultures of several lines of both normal and neoplastic cells. These drugs often transformed the cellular biochemical structures, especially in neopla Read More

Despite many recent advances the prognosis of cancer patients with metastasis still remains poor. In metastatic invasion, tumor cells interact with endothelial cells through several distinct adhesion molecules. Adherent tumor cells extravasate into tissues by degrading basement membranes with matrix degrading enzymes such as heparanases and matrix metalloproteinases. Endothelial expression of matrix degrading enzym Read More

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a relatively new cytotoxic treatment, predominantly used in anti-cancer approaches, that depends on the retention of photosensitizers in tumor and their activation after light exposure. Photosensitizers are photoactive compounds such as porphyrins and chlorins that upon photoactivation, effect strongly localized oxidative damage within the target cells. The ability to confine activation of the photo Read More

Quinone moieties are present in many drugs such as anthracyclines, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrones and saintopin, which are used clinically in the therapy of solid cancers. The cytotoxic effects of these quinones are mainly due to the following two factors: (i) inhibition of DNA topoisomerase-II and, (ii) formation of semiquinone radical that can transfer an electron to oxygen to produce super oxide, which i Read More