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Molecules
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New Generation of Microtubule-Interacting Anticancer Agents
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New Generation of Microtubule-Interacting Anticancer Agents

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2016) | Viewed by 19069

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Iwao Ojima

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
Interests: drug discovery; anticancer agents; antimicrobial agents; anti-inflammatory agents; enzyme inhibitors; computer-aided drug design; structure-based drug design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microtubule-interacting anticancer drugs, such as taxanes and vinca alkaloids, have demonstrated their significant efficacy in cancer chemotherapy. These drugs alter microtubule dynamics and act as cell mitosis inhibitors. These drugs block cell cycle progression in cancer cells and initiate apoptosis to inhibit their aggressive growth, leading to eradication of tumor. However, inherent and acquired drug-resistance is a serious issue for these drugs. A number of new-generation compounds of these classes and others have been showing activities and efficacies against various drug-resistant cancer cell lines and tumor xenografts. Thus, exploration of new microtubule-interacting anticancer agents is a highly promising approach to discover and develop efficacious chemotherapeutic options for the management of cancer. Highly potent microtubule-interacting anticancer agents are useful as cytotoxic “warheads” for tumor-targeted drug delivery in the form of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), small-molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs), nanocarrier-drugs, etc. Activities against cancer stem cells are also newer and important aspect in anticancer drug discovery to prevent metastasis and recurrence. In addition, the possible discovery or identification of new mechanism(s) of action for microtubule-interacting agents is very important for drug development. In this Special Issue of Molecules, titled "New Generation of Microtubule-Interacting Anticancer Agents", we invite manuscript submissions that address the subjects mentioned above. Original research articles or Reviews that describe the combination of new drug design or identification, medicinal chemistry and biology are especially welcome.

Prof. Dr. Iwao Ojima
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mechanism of action
  • drug-resistance and solutions
  • taxanes and taxoids
  • vinca alkaloids
  • cryptophycins
  • discodermolide
  • laulimalide
  • epothilones
  • binding pose identification
  • computer-aided drug design
  • fragment-based drug design
  • tumor-targeted drug delivery
  • drug combinations
  • drug discovery

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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2245 KiB  
Article
Synthesis, Biological Profiling and Determination of the Tubulin-Bound Conformation of 12-Aza-Epothilones (Azathilones)
by Andrea Jantsch, Lidia Nieto, Jürg Gertsch, Javier Rodríguez-Salarichs, Ruth Matesanz, Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, J. Fernando Díaz, Ángeles Canales and Karl-Heinz Altmann
Molecules 2016, 21(8), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21081010 - 03 Aug 2016
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4967
Abstract
12-Aza-epothilones (azathilones) incorporating quinoline side chains and bearing different N12-substituents have been synthesized via highly efficient RCM-based macrocyclizations. Quinoline-based azathilones with the side chain N-atom in the meta-position to the C15 atom in the macrocycle are highly potent inhibitors of cancer cell [...] Read more.
12-Aza-epothilones (azathilones) incorporating quinoline side chains and bearing different N12-substituents have been synthesized via highly efficient RCM-based macrocyclizations. Quinoline-based azathilones with the side chain N-atom in the meta-position to the C15 atom in the macrocycle are highly potent inhibitors of cancer cell growth in vitro. In contrast, shifting the quinoline nitrogen to the position para to C15 leads to a ca. 1000-fold loss in potency. Likewise, the desaturation of the C9-C10 bond in the macrocycle to an E double bond produces a substantial reduction in antiproliferative activity. This is in stark contrast to the effect exerted by the same modification in the natural epothilone macrocycle. The conformation of a representative azathilone bound to α/β-tubulin heterodimers was determined based on TR-NOE measurements and a model for the posture of the compound in its binding site on β-tubulin was deduced through a combination of STD measurements and CORCEMA-ST calculations. The tubulin-bound, bioactive conformation of azathilones was found to be overall similar to that of epothilones A and B. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Generation of Microtubule-Interacting Anticancer Agents)
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Review

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1704 KiB  
Review
Antiproliferative Fate of the Tetraploid Formed after Mitotic Slippage and Its Promotion; A Novel Target for Cancer Therapy Based on Microtubule Poisons
by Yuji Nakayama and Toshiaki Inoue
Molecules 2016, 21(5), 663; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21050663 - 19 May 2016
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7768
Abstract
Microtubule poisons inhibit spindle function, leading to activation of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and mitotic arrest. Cell death occurring in prolonged mitosis is the first target of microtubule poisons in cancer therapies. However, even in the presence of microtubule poisons, SAC and mitotic [...] Read more.
Microtubule poisons inhibit spindle function, leading to activation of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and mitotic arrest. Cell death occurring in prolonged mitosis is the first target of microtubule poisons in cancer therapies. However, even in the presence of microtubule poisons, SAC and mitotic arrest are not permanent, and the surviving cells exit the mitosis without cytokinesis (mitotic slippage), becoming tetraploid. Another target of microtubule poisons-based cancer therapy is antiproliferative fate after mitotic slippage. The ultimate goal of both the microtubule poisons-based cancer therapies involves the induction of a mechanism defined as mitotic catastrophe, which is a bona fide intrinsic oncosuppressive mechanism that senses mitotic failure and responds by driving a cell to an irreversible antiproliferative fate of death or senescence. This mechanism of antiproliferative fate after mitotic slippage is not as well understood. We provide an overview of mitotic catastrophe, and explain new insights underscoring a causal association between basal autophagy levels and antiproliferative fate after mitotic slippage, and propose possible improved strategies. Additionally, we discuss nuclear alterations characterizing the mitotic catastrophe (micronuclei, multinuclei) after mitotic slippage, and a possible new type of nuclear alteration (clustered micronuclei). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Generation of Microtubule-Interacting Anticancer Agents)
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1382 KiB  
Review
Taxanes in the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer
by Byung Woog Kang, Oh-Kyoung Kwon, Ho Young Chung, Wansik Yu and Jong Gwang Kim
Molecules 2016, 21(5), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21050651 - 17 May 2016
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5844
Abstract
Although rapid advances in treatment options have improved the prognosis of advanced gastric cancer (AGC), it remains a major public health problem and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) are microtubule stabilizing agents that inhibit [...] Read more.
Although rapid advances in treatment options have improved the prognosis of advanced gastric cancer (AGC), it remains a major public health problem and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) are microtubule stabilizing agents that inhibit the process of cell division, and have shown antitumor activity in the treatment of AGC as a single or combination chemotherapy. Accordingly, this review focuses on the efficacy and tolerability of taxanes in the first- or second-line chemotherapy setting for AGC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Generation of Microtubule-Interacting Anticancer Agents)
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