Title:Recent Trends in Tubulin-Binding Combretastatin A-4 Analogs for
Anticancer Drug Development
Volume: 29
Issue: 21
Author(s): Suresh Paidakula, Srinivas Nerella, Shravankumar Kankala*Ranjith Kumar Kankala*
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry, Kakatiya University, Warangal-506009, Telangana State, India
- College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, P.R. China
Keywords:
Combretastatin A-4, anti-tubulin, antivascular, colchicine, antimitotic, structure-activity relationships (SAR).
Abstract: Although significant progress over several decades has been evidenced in cancer
therapy, there remains a need for the development of novel and effective therapeutic
strategies to treat several relapsed and intractable cancers. In this regard, tubulin protein
has become one of the efficient and major targets for anticancer drug discovery. Considering
the antimitotic ability, several tubulin inhibitors have been developed to act against
various cancers. Among various tubulin inhibitors available, combretastatin-A4 (CA-4),
a naturally occurring lead molecule, offers exceptional cytotoxicity (including the drugresistant
cell lines) and antivascular effects. Although CA-4 offers exceptional therapeutic
efficacy, several new advancements have been proposed, in terms of structural modification
via A and B rings, as well as cis-olefinic bridging, which provide highly efficient
analogs with improved tubulin-binding efficiency to meet the anticancer drug development
requirements. This review systematically emphasizes the recent trends and latest developments
in the anticancer drug design and discovery using CA-4 analogs as the tubulin
inhibiting agents by highlighting their structure-activity relationships (SAR) and resultant
pharmacological efficacies.