The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and there is an increasing need for novel anti-tumor therapeutics with greater selectivity and potency. A new strategy in the treatment of cancer has focused on targeting an essential cell metabolite, iron (Fe). Iron is vital for cell growth and...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kovacevic, Z., Kalinowski, D., Lovejoy, D., Yu, Yu, Rahmanto, Y., Sharpe, P., Bernhardt, P., Richardson, D.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20777
_version_ 1848750403074654208
author Kovacevic, Z.
Kalinowski, D.
Lovejoy, D.
Yu, Yu
Rahmanto, Y.
Sharpe, P.
Bernhardt, P.
Richardson, D.
author_facet Kovacevic, Z.
Kalinowski, D.
Lovejoy, D.
Yu, Yu
Rahmanto, Y.
Sharpe, P.
Bernhardt, P.
Richardson, D.
author_sort Kovacevic, Z.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and there is an increasing need for novel anti-tumor therapeutics with greater selectivity and potency. A new strategy in the treatment of cancer has focused on targeting an essential cell metabolite, iron (Fe). Iron is vital for cell growth and metabolism, forming a crucial component of the active site of ribonucleotide reductase (RR), the rate-limiting enzyme in DNA synthesis. Cancer cells in particular require large amounts of Fe to proliferate, making them more susceptible to the Fe deficiency caused by Fe chelators. Beginning with primordial siderophores, Fe chelators have since evolved to a new generation of potent and efficient anti-cancer agents. Recently, investigations have led to the generation of novel di-2-pyridylketone thiosemicarbazone (DpT) and 2-benzoylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (BpT) ligands that demonstrate marked and selective anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo against a wide spectrum of tumors. The mechanism of action of these novel ligands includes alterations in the expression of key regulatory molecules as well as the generation of redox active Fe complexes. Interestingly, nonsynthetic Fe chelators including silybin and curcumin, both of which are derived from plants, also have a high potential in the treatment of cancer. This review explores the development of novel Fe chelators for the treatment of cancer and their mechanisms of action. © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T07:36:16Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-20777
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:36:16Z
publishDate 2011
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-207772017-09-13T13:49:37Z The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer Kovacevic, Z. Kalinowski, D. Lovejoy, D. Yu, Yu Rahmanto, Y. Sharpe, P. Bernhardt, P. Richardson, D. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and there is an increasing need for novel anti-tumor therapeutics with greater selectivity and potency. A new strategy in the treatment of cancer has focused on targeting an essential cell metabolite, iron (Fe). Iron is vital for cell growth and metabolism, forming a crucial component of the active site of ribonucleotide reductase (RR), the rate-limiting enzyme in DNA synthesis. Cancer cells in particular require large amounts of Fe to proliferate, making them more susceptible to the Fe deficiency caused by Fe chelators. Beginning with primordial siderophores, Fe chelators have since evolved to a new generation of potent and efficient anti-cancer agents. Recently, investigations have led to the generation of novel di-2-pyridylketone thiosemicarbazone (DpT) and 2-benzoylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (BpT) ligands that demonstrate marked and selective anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo against a wide spectrum of tumors. The mechanism of action of these novel ligands includes alterations in the expression of key regulatory molecules as well as the generation of redox active Fe complexes. Interestingly, nonsynthetic Fe chelators including silybin and curcumin, both of which are derived from plants, also have a high potential in the treatment of cancer. This review explores the development of novel Fe chelators for the treatment of cancer and their mechanisms of action. © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20777 10.2174/156802611794785190 restricted
spellingShingle Kovacevic, Z.
Kalinowski, D.
Lovejoy, D.
Yu, Yu
Rahmanto, Y.
Sharpe, P.
Bernhardt, P.
Richardson, D.
The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer
title The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer
title_full The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer
title_fullStr The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer
title_full_unstemmed The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer
title_short The medicinal chemistry of novel iron Chelators for the treatment of cancer
title_sort medicinal chemistry of novel iron chelators for the treatment of cancer
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20777