Abstract
Until recently, most research efforts aimed at developing anti-cancer tools were focusing on small molecules. Alternative compounds are now being increasingly assessed for their potential anti-cancer properties, including peptides and their derivatives. One earlier limitation to the use of peptides was their limited capacity to cross membranes but this limitation was alleviated with the characterization of cell-permeable sequences. Additionally, means are designed to target peptides to malignant cells. Most anti-cancer peptidic compounds induce apoptosis of tumor cells by modulating the activity of Bcl-2 family members that control the release of death factors from the mitochondria or by inhibiting negative regulators of caspases, the proteases that mediate the apoptotic response in cells. Some of these peptides have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors in mouse models. Hopefully, pro-apoptotic anti-tumor peptides will soon be tested for their efficacy in patients with cancers.
Keywords: Apoptosis, Bcl-2, cancer, cell-permeable peptides, IAPs, peptides, RasGAP, Smac, anti-cancer tools, cell-permeable sequences, release of death factors, mitochondria, caspases, efficacy
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Title: Promises of Apoptosis-Inducing Peptides in Cancer Therapeutics
Volume: 12 Issue: 8
Author(s): David Barras and Christian Widmann
Affiliation:
Keywords: Apoptosis, Bcl-2, cancer, cell-permeable peptides, IAPs, peptides, RasGAP, Smac, anti-cancer tools, cell-permeable sequences, release of death factors, mitochondria, caspases, efficacy
Abstract: Until recently, most research efforts aimed at developing anti-cancer tools were focusing on small molecules. Alternative compounds are now being increasingly assessed for their potential anti-cancer properties, including peptides and their derivatives. One earlier limitation to the use of peptides was their limited capacity to cross membranes but this limitation was alleviated with the characterization of cell-permeable sequences. Additionally, means are designed to target peptides to malignant cells. Most anti-cancer peptidic compounds induce apoptosis of tumor cells by modulating the activity of Bcl-2 family members that control the release of death factors from the mitochondria or by inhibiting negative regulators of caspases, the proteases that mediate the apoptotic response in cells. Some of these peptides have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors in mouse models. Hopefully, pro-apoptotic anti-tumor peptides will soon be tested for their efficacy in patients with cancers.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Barras David and Widmann Christian, Promises of Apoptosis-Inducing Peptides in Cancer Therapeutics, Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2011; 12 (8) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920111796117337
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920111796117337 |
Print ISSN 1389-2010 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4316 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Artificial Intelligence in Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that analyzes and explores biological data. This field combines biology and information system. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has attracted great attention as it tries to replicate human intelligence. It has become common technology for analyzing and solving complex data and problems and encompasses sub-fields of machine ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Complications of Infective Endocarditis
Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders-Drug Targets Non-Lipid Effects of Statins: Emerging New Indications
Current Vascular Pharmacology Will Antirheumatic Treatment Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Current Pharmaceutical Design Clinical Evaluation of Natural History of Peyronie’s Disease: Our Experience, Old Myths and New Certainties
Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets (Discontinued) Flavonoids Acting on DNA Topoisomerases: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives in Cancer Therapy
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Metabolic Syndrome and HIV Infection
Current Pharmaceutical Design Nanotechnology and Atherosclerosis Imaging: Emerging Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications
Recent Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery Prophylaxis of Cancer
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Flavonoids in Human Health: From Structure to Biological Activity
Current Nutrition & Food Science The Adiponectin Signaling Pathway as a Novel Pharmacological Target
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Coffee and Depression: A Short Review of Literature
Current Pharmaceutical Design Electrochemical-Based Biosensors: New Diagnosis Platforms for Cardiovascular Disease
Current Medicinal Chemistry Dyslipidemia as a Risk Factor for Ischemic Stroke
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry HIF Prolyl 4-Hydroxylases and their Potential as Drug Targets
Current Pharmaceutical Design Chemoprevention of Lung Pathologies by Dietary n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
Current Medicinal Chemistry Thyroid Hormone Ligands and Metabolic Diseases
Current Pharmaceutical Design Managing the Liabilities Arising from Structural Alerts: A Safe Philosophy for Medicinal Chemists
Current Medicinal Chemistry Editorial [Hot Topic: Stem Cells (Guest Editor: Anand Srivastava)]
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Central Hemodynamics in Risk Assessment Strategies: Additive Value Over and Above Brachial Blood Pressure
Current Pharmaceutical Design Artificial Intelligence for Epigenetics: Towards Personalized Medicine
Current Medicinal Chemistry