Open AccessTargeting apoptotic machinery as approach for anticancer therapy: Smac mimetics as anticancer agents
Author(s) -
Nevine M.Y. Elsayed,
Dalal A. Abou El Ella,
Rabah A. T. Serya,
Khaled A. M. Abouzid
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
future journal of pharmaceutical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2314-7253
pISSN - 2314-7245
DOI - 10.1016/j.fjps.2015.05.005
Subject(s) - apoptosis , caspase , xiap , endogeny , intrinsic apoptosis , microbiology and biotechnology , inhibitor of apoptosis , regulator , activator (genetics) , cancer cell , biology , mitochondrion , cancer research , cancer , programmed cell death , biochemistry , gene , genetics
Apoptosis is a chief regulator of cellular homeostasis. Impairment of apoptotic machinery is a main characteristic of several diseases such as cancer, where the evasion of apoptosis is a cardinal hallmark of cancer. Apoptosis is regulated by contribution of pro- and anti- apoptotic proteins, where caspases are the main executioners of the apoptotic machinery. IAP (inhibitors of apoptosis proteins) is a family of endogenous inhibitors of apoptosis, which perform their function through interference with the function of caspases. Smac (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases) is endogenous inhibitor of IAPs, thus it is one of the major proapoptotic endogenous proteins. Thus, the development of Smac mimetics has evolved as an approach for anticancer therapy. Several Smac mimetic agents have been introduced to clinical trial such as birinapanet 12. Herein, the history of development of Smac mimetics along with the recent development in this field is briefly discussed