Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) constitute a diverse group of chemical compounds that bind to microtubules and affect their properties and function. Disruption of microtubules induces various cellular responses often leading to cell cycle arrest or cell death, the most common effect of MTAs. MTAs have found a plethora of practical applications in weed control, as fungicides and antiparasitics, and particularly in cancer treatment. Here we summarize the current knowledge of MTAs, the mechanisms of action and their role in cancer treatment. We further outline the potential use of MTAs in anti-metastatic therapy based on inhibition of cancer cell migration and invasiveness. The two main problems associated with cancer therapy by MTAs are high systemic toxicity and development of resistance. Toxic side effects of MTAs can be, at least partly, eliminated by conjugation of the drugs with various carriers. Moreover, some of the novel MTAs overcome the resistance mediated by both multidrug resistance transporters as well as overexpression of specific β-tubulin types. In anti-metastatic therapy, MTAs should be combined with other drugs to target all modes of cancer cell invasion.

• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mikrotubuly účinky léků   MeSH
• nádory farmakoterapie   MeSH
• protinádorové látky farmakologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Microtubules, an important cytoskeletal protein involved in mitotic and non-mitotic functions of cells, are important targets in cancer therapy. Microtubule-stabilizing drugs like the taxanes are critical adjuvant and palliative first-line therapies for the treatment of early, advanced and metastatic solid tumors of different lineages. Their adverse on- and off-target effects and high susceptibility to multidrug resistance, however, are major challenges encountered in the clinic in the treatment of solid cancers. Although biochemical resistance to microtubule-stabilizing drugs has been well characterized, molecular mechanisms that contribute to clinical resistance to taxanes in solid tumors still remain poorly understood and uncontrolled. The heterogeneous tumor microenvironment leads to greater diversity of resistance mechanisms to taxanes. Tumor hypoxia, a prominent feature of solid tumors, results in a broad range of effects on a number of cellular pathways and is one of the major contributors to the development of resistance to not only microtubule-stabilizing drugs but also other anticancer drugs. In this review, we highlight the potential role of hypoxia in the development of resistance to taxanes through mechanisms that involve altering the cell cycle, changing the properties of microtubules, and inducing the overexpression of gene products that contribute to drug resistance. Hypoxia-induced challenges described in this review are not limited to microtubule-stabilizing drugs alone, but in many cases also impact on treatment with non-microtubule-targeting anticancer drugs.

• MeSH
• buněčný cyklus účinky léků   MeSH
• chemorezistence účinky léků   MeSH
• faktor 1 indukovatelný hypoxií - podjednotka alfa genetika   MeSH
• hypoxie buňky účinky léků   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mikrotubuly účinky léků   genetika   MeSH
• nádorové mikroprostředí MeSH
• nádory farmakoterapie   genetika   patologie   MeSH
• nežádoucí účinky léčiv MeSH
• taxoidy terapeutické užití   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH