Mohd N Islam | PubMed Health

PubMed2004

Microtubulin binding sites as target for developing anticancer agents.

Microtubules (MTs) play important and diverse roles in eukaryotic cells. Their function and biophysical properties have made alpha-and beta-tubulin, the main components of MTs, the subject of intense study. Interfering with normal MT dynamics, for example, by the addition of tubulin ligands, can cause the cell great distress and affect MT stability and functions, including mitosis, cell motion and intracellular organelle transport. It has been shown in the literature that tubulin is an important target molecule for developing anticancer drugs. Tubulin binding molecules have generated considerable interest after the successful introduction of the taxanes into clinical oncology and the widespread use of the vinca alkaloids vincristine and vinblastine. These compounds inhibit cell mitosis by binding to the protein tubulin in the mitotic spindle and preventing polymerization into the MTs. This mode of action is also shared with other natural agents eg colchicine and podophyllotoxin. However various tubulin isotypes have shown resistance to taxanes and other MT agents. Therefore, there is a strong need to design and develop new natural analogs as antimitotic agents to interact with tubulin at sites different from those of vinca alkaloids and taxanes. This minireview provides SAR on several classes of antimitotic agents reported in the literature. The structures and data given are essential to the scientists who are involved in drug design and development in the field of anticancer drugs.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Investigation of structural requirements of anticancer activity at the paclitaxel/tubulin binding site using CoMFA and CoMSIA.

CoMFA and CoMSIA analysis were utilized in this investigation to define the important interacting regions in paclitaxel/tubulin binding site and to develop selective paclitaxel-like active compounds. The starting geometry of paclitaxel analogs was taken from the crystal structure of docetaxel. A total of 28 derivatives of paclitaxel were divided into two groups-a training set comprising of 19 compounds and a test set comprising of nine compounds. They were constructed and geometrically optimized using SYBYL v6.6. CoMFA studies provided a good predictability (q(2)=0.699, r(2)=0.991, PC=6, S.E.E.=0.343 and F=185.910). They showed the steric and electrostatic properties as the major interacting forces whilst the lipophilic property contribution was a minor factor for recognition forces of the binding site. These results were in agreement with the experimental data of the binding activities of these compounds. Five fields in CoMSIA analysis (steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic, hydrogen-bond acceptor and donor properties) were considered contributors in the ligand-receptor interactions. The results obtained from the CoMSIA studies were: q(2)=0.535, r(2)=0.983, PC=5, S.E.E.=0.452 and F=127.884. The data obtained from both CoMFA and CoMSIA studies were interpreted with respect to the paclitaxel/tubulin binding site. This intuitively suggested where the most significant anchoring points for binding affinity are located. This information could be used for the development of new compounds having paclitaxel-like activity with new chemical entities to overcome the existing pharmaceutical barriers and the economical problem associated with the synthesis of the paclitaxel analogs. These will boost the wide use of this useful class of compounds, i.e. in brain tumors as the most of the present active compounds have poor blood-brain barrier crossing ratios and also, various tubulin isotypes has shown resistance to taxanes and other antimitotic agents.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗