Anti-cancer activities of diospyrin, its derivatives and analogues.

Abstract

Natural products have played a vital role in drug discovery and development process for cancer. Diospyrin, a plant based bisnaphthoquinonoid, has been used as a lead molecule in an effort to develop anti-cancer drugs. Several derivatives/analogues have been synthesized and screened for their pro-apoptotic/anti-cancer activities so far. Our review is focused on the pro-apoptotic/anti-cancer activities of diospyrin, its derivatives/analogues and the different mechanisms potentially involved in the bioactivity of these compounds. Particular focus has been placed on the different mechanisms (both chemical and molecular) thought to underlie the bioactivity of these compounds. A brief bioinformatics analysis at the end of the article provides novel insights into the new potential mechanisms and pathways by which these compounds might exert their effects and lead to a better realization of the full therapeutic potential of these compounds as anti-cancer drugs.

• Authors: Sunil Sagar, Mandeep Kaur, Kenneth P Minneman, Vladimir B Bajic
• Journal: European journal of medicinal chemistry (Eur J Med Chem) Vol. 45 Issue 9 Pg. 3519-30 (Sep 2010) ISSN: 1768-3254 [Electronic] France
• PMID: 20615584 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Naphthoquinones
• diospyrin

Topics

• Animals
• Antineoplastic Agents (chemistry, pharmacology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Computational Biology
• Humans
• Naphthoquinones (chemistry, pharmacology)