Dual Inhibitors of Human DNA Topoisomerase II and Other Cancer-Related Targets

Human DNA topoisomerase II is an important target in anticancer therapy. Despite the clinical success of drugs that target topoisomerase II, the development of resistant cancer cells can limit their clinical efficacy. To maximize the therapeutic potential of anticancer drugs, combination therapies and multitarget drugs have been suggested in many studies, where the use of multitarget drugs is advantageous from a pharmacokinetic point of view. There are various different options for the preparation of dual-target or multiple-target inhibitors, as topoisomerase II is both structurally (e.g., topoisomerase I, Hsp90, and kinases) and functionally (e.g., histone deacetylases and proteasome) connected to many validated anticancer targets. In this Perspective, we discuss the scientific background behind targeting topoisomerase II together with a number of other targets important in cancer therapy, review the present status, and discuss further options in the field.