Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 13, Issue 33, 2007

The development of cancer therapies has diversified tremendously in the last decade and this development is in part due to our significantly improved understanding of the biological processes leading to tumor progression and metastasis. Despite this encouraging development, the success rate of cancer therapies is still disappointingly low. Investigating such treatment failures and shortcomings can greatly advance Read More

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been widely used as a target for novel anticancer agents, such as blocking antibodies and small molecular weight tyrosine kinase compounds. In spite of recent advances in cancer cell biology, leading to the introduction of clinically active new drugs, such as cetuximab, panitumumab and erlotinib, unfortunately disease control remains unsuccessful due to the presence of consti Read More

Tumor cell proliferation, de-differentiation, and progression depend on a complex combination of altered intracellular processes including cell cycle regulation, excessive growth factor pathway activation, and decreased apoptosis. Metabolites from these processes result in significant cellular oxidative stress that must be buffered to prevent permanent cell damage and cell death. Tumor cells depend on a complex set of respir Read More

The short chain fatty acid valproic acid (VPA, 2-propylpetanoic acid) is approved for the treatment of epilepsia, bipolar disorders and migraine and clinically used for schizophrenia. In 1999, the first clinical anti-cancer trial using VPA was initiated. Currently, VPA is examined in numerous clinical trials for different leukaemias and solid tumour entities. In addition to clinical assessment, the experimental examination of VPA as anti-c Read More

Chemoprevention is one of the most important strategy in the field of cancer control. Molecular mechanism-based cancer chemoprevention by phytochemicals seems to be very attractive method. In this review, possible molecular targets for cancer prevention are overviewed, and some examples of cancer preventive phytochemicals, such as carotenoids, are presented.

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that is activated in response to various inflammatory stimuli such as cytokines, growth factors, hormones, mitogens, carcinogens, chemotherapeutic agents, viral products, eukaryotic parasites, endotoxin, fatty acids, metals, radiation, hypoxia, and psychological, physical, oxidative, and chemical stresses. In addition, constitutively active NF-κB is frequently encountered in a wide Read More

There is an immense diversity of marine plants and animals from which an estimated 14,000 pharmacologically active compounds have been isolated. However, in terms of clinically useful anti-cancer agents, the oceans remain as a largely untapped resource. Indeed, there are currently only two compounds used in the clinic that are derived from marine sources. These are cytarabine, which is a deoxycitidine analogue an Read More

The marine ecosystem that has contributed to the discovery of cytarabine and its fluorinated derivative gemcitabine is now considered the most productive toll to acquire new natural derived anticancer entities. Few marine anticancer agents have entered clinical development, including bryostatin-1, dolastatin 10, LU103793, ET-743, kahalalide F, didemnin B and aplidine. The marine plitidepsin aplidine derived from the m Read More

Tumor cells are not only susceptible to signals from the environment, but they likewise release signal substances. It is well known that tumor cells secrete angiogenic factors - most prominently the vascular endothelial growth factor - which initiate the vascularization of the tumor for its nourishment. This process has been termed neoangiogenesis. Besides this, two further processes have recently been discovered that fa Read More

Cyclosarin is one member of nerve agent family. Recent treatment of intoxications by organophosphorus compounds, such as nerve agents or pesticides, consists of rapid administration of anticholinergics and AChE reactivators. Owing to the threat of terroristic use of these compounds during last years, improvement of antidotal therapy still continues. As the part of the development of new antidotes, many new AChE re Read More