Photopharmacology of Antimitotic Agents
Antimitotic agents such as the clinically approved vinca alkaloids, taxanes and epothilone can arrest cell growth during interphase and are therefore among the most important drugs available for treating cancer. These agents suppress microtubule dynamics and thus interfere with intracellular transpo...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/10/5657 |
| Summary: | Antimitotic agents such as the clinically approved vinca alkaloids, taxanes and epothilone can arrest cell growth during interphase and are therefore among the most important drugs available for treating cancer. These agents suppress microtubule dynamics and thus interfere with intracellular transport, inhibit cell proliferation and promote cell death. Because these drugs target biological processes that are essential to all cells, they face an additional challenge when compared to most other drug classes. General toxicity can limit the applicable dose and therefore reduce therapeutic benefits. Photopharmacology aims to avoid these side-effects by introducing compounds that can be applied globally to cells in their inactive form, then be selectively induced to bioactivity in targeted cells or tissue during a defined time window. This review discusses photoswitchable analogues of antimitotic agents that have been developed by combining different photoswitchable motifs with microtubule-stabilizing or microtubule-destabilizing agents. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |