Abstract
Metastatic malignant melanoma remains a highly aggressive form of skin cancer for which no reliable methods for treatment exist. Given the increasing incidence of this cancer, considerable attention has focused on the development of new and improved methods for tackling this disease. Within this article, methods for treating melanoma are reviewed and discussed with particular attention focusing on prodrugs that are activated by the tyrosinase enzyme. This enzyme is up-regulated and is of elevated activity within malignant melanomas compared with healthy melanocytes, providing an ideal in-situ tool for the activation of melanoma prodrugs. By way of background to the prodrug strategies discussed within this review, the causes of melanoma, the enzymology of tyrosinase, and the chemistry of the biosynthetic pathways associated with melanogenesis are presented. Aspects of the design, mode of action, and biological profiles of key prodrugs that are activated by tyrosinase, and that show potential for the treatment of melanoma, are then presented and compared.
Keywords: Melanoma, prodrug, tyrosinase, ortho, melanogenesis, metastasis
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Tyrosinase Activated Melanoma Prodrugs
Volume: 9 Issue: 7
Author(s): Samaila Jawaid, Tariq H. Khan, Helen M.I. Osborn and Nana Aba O. Williams
Affiliation:
Keywords: Melanoma, prodrug, tyrosinase, ortho, melanogenesis, metastasis
Abstract: Metastatic malignant melanoma remains a highly aggressive form of skin cancer for which no reliable methods for treatment exist. Given the increasing incidence of this cancer, considerable attention has focused on the development of new and improved methods for tackling this disease. Within this article, methods for treating melanoma are reviewed and discussed with particular attention focusing on prodrugs that are activated by the tyrosinase enzyme. This enzyme is up-regulated and is of elevated activity within malignant melanomas compared with healthy melanocytes, providing an ideal in-situ tool for the activation of melanoma prodrugs. By way of background to the prodrug strategies discussed within this review, the causes of melanoma, the enzymology of tyrosinase, and the chemistry of the biosynthetic pathways associated with melanogenesis are presented. Aspects of the design, mode of action, and biological profiles of key prodrugs that are activated by tyrosinase, and that show potential for the treatment of melanoma, are then presented and compared.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Jawaid Samaila, Khan H. Tariq, Osborn M.I. Helen and Williams Aba O. Nana, Tyrosinase Activated Melanoma Prodrugs, Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2009; 9 (7) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152009789056886
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152009789056886 |
Print ISSN 1871-5206 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5992 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Induction of cell death in cancer cells by modulating telomerase activity using small molecule drugs
Telomeres are distinctive but short stretches present at the corners of chromosomes and aid in stabilizing chromosomal makeup. Resynthesis of telomeres supported by the activity of reverse transcriptase ribonucleoprotein complex telomerase. There is no any telomerase activity in human somatic cells, but the stem cells and germ cells undergone telomerase ...read more
Role of natural compounds as anti anti-cancer agents
Cancer is considered the leading cause of worldwide mortality, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2022. Cancer outcome can be improved through an appropriate screening and early detection and through an efficient clinical treatment. Chemotherapy remains an important approach in treatment o f several types of cancers, even though ...read more
Signaling and enzymatic modulators in cancer treatment
Cancer accounts for nearly 10 million deaths in 2022 and is considered the leading cause of worldwide mortality. Cancer outcome can be improved through an appropriate screening and early detection and through an efficient clinical treatment. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are the most important approach for the treatment of several ...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
-
α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit in Angiogenesis and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
Current Drug Targets Cancer Chemoprevention by Targeting the Epigenome
Current Drug Targets IL-13 and its Signal Pathway: Promising Targets in the Development of a Therapeutic Agent for Bronchial Asthma
Current Signal Transduction Therapy Immunoglobulin Free Light Chains in Immune Responses
Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued) Diarylheptanoids: Potent Anticancer Agents
Clinical Cancer Drugs Thrombomodulin Links Coagulation to Inflammation and Immunity
Current Drug Targets New Indications for Established Drugs: Combined Tumor-Stroma-Targeted Cancer Therapy with PPARγ Agonists, COX-2 Inhibitors, mTOR Antagonists and Metronomic Chemotherapy
Current Cancer Drug Targets Marine Derived Anticancer Drugs Targeting Microtubule
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Synthesis and In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Novel 2-((3-thioureido)carbonyl) phenyl Acetate Derivatives
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Protein Kinase CK2 in Human Diseases
Current Medicinal Chemistry Synthesis and Preliminary Evaluation of 5-[18F]fluoroleucine
Current Radiopharmaceuticals Polysaccharide Colloids as Smart Vehicles in Cancer Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Recent Advances in Anti-Survivin Treatments for Cancer
Current Medicinal Chemistry Computational Approaches for the Identification and Optimization of Src Family Kinases Inhibitors
Current Medicinal Chemistry Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Receptor Targeted Therapeutics: Novel Compounds and Novel Treatment Strategies for Cancer Medicine
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery MicroRNAs and Cancer: Towards a Personalized Medicine
Current Molecular Medicine Current and Future Prospective of a Versatile Moiety: Imidazole
Current Drug Targets The Role of Cellular Plasticity in Cancer Development
Current Medicinal Chemistry The FDG-PET Revolution of Medical Imaging – Four Decades and Beyond
Current Molecular Imaging (Discontinued) Anti-Cancer Drug Design Using Natural and Synthetic Pharmacophores
Current Organic Chemistry