Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, remains one of the
most major health problems worldwide. Chemotherapeutic agents play an important
role in cancer therapy. However, many anticancer drugs have potential disadvantages,
such as non-selective toxicity, few drug targets, higher medical costs. Furthermore,
since rapid resistance to chemotherapeutics, medicinal chemists aim to develop new
anticancer drugs with better properties. The development of new anticancer drugs is
one of the most vital areas of research in chemical science. Poly (ADP-ribose)
polymerase (PARP) is an important nuclear enzyme responsible for the genomic repair,
telomerase regulation, transcription, and regulation of cell death. Poli (ADP-ribose)
polymerase inhibitors have recently been approved for cancer treatment, especially
breast and ovarian cancer. In this study, we explained the roles of PARP inhibitors in
cancer treatment and their mechanisms of action with their structure-activity
relationship. Therefore, this article will provide readers with a new perspective on
cancer diseases and its treatment with PARP inhibitors.
Keywords: Benzamide, BRCA, Breast cancer, Cancer treatment, DNA damage,
DNA repair, Dual inhibitors, Nicotinamide, Olaparib, Poly (ADP-ribose)
polymerase, PARP inhibitors, Veliparib.