Showing papers by "Malcolm F. G. Stevens published in 2012"
TL;DR: Several small molecule inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a critical BER protein are yielding promising results clinically, both in combination with TMZ and as single agent chemotherapy in patients whose tumours possess homologous recombination DNA repair defects.
Abstract: Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common aggressive adult primary tumour of the central nervous system. Treatment includes surgery, radiotherapy and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. TMZ is an alkylating agent prodrug, delivering a methyl group to purine bases of DNA (O6-guanine; N7-guanine and N3-adenine). The primary cytotoxic lesion, O6-methylguanine (O6-MeG) can be removed by methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT; direct repair) in tumours expressing this protein, or tolerated in mismatch repair-deficient (MMR-) tumours. Thus MGMT or MMR deficiency confers resistance to TMZ. Inherent- and acquired resistance to TMZ present major obstacles to successful treatment. Strategies devised to thwart resistance and enhance response to TMZ, including inhibition of DNA repair mechanisms which contribute to TMZ resistance, are under clinical evaluation. Depletion of MGMT prior to alkylating agent chemotherapy prevents O6-MeG repair; thus, MGMT pseudosubstrates O6-benzylguanine and lomeguatrib are able to sensitise tumours to TMZ. Disruption of base excision repair (BER) results in persistence of potentially lethal N7- and N3- purine lesions contributing significantly to TMZ cytoxicity particularly when O6-MeG adducts are repaired or tolerated. Several small molecule inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a critical BER protein are yielding promising results clinically, both in combination with TMZ and as single agent chemotherapy in patients whose tumours possess homologous recombination DNA repair defects. Another validated, but as yet preclinical protein target, mandatory to BER is abasic (AP) endonuclease-1 (APE-1); in preclinical tests, APE-1 inhibition potentiates TMZ activity. An alternative strategy is synthesis of a molecule, evoking an irrepairable cytotoxic O6-G lesion. Preliminary efforts to achieve this goal are described.
581 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reported screening of further examples of quinols against T. brucei, the causative organism of human African trypanosomiasis, but they demonstrated little selectivity over mammalian MRC5 cells.
17 citations
TL;DR: An efficient synthesis of 4-oxo-3,4-dihydroimidazo[5,1-d][1,2,3,5]tetrazine-8-carboxamide and in situ generation of the anion of nor-temozolomide from an N-3-hydroxymethyl derivative of temozolmide are reported.
Abstract: An efficient synthesis of 4-oxo-3,4-dihydroimidazo[5,1-d][1,2,3,5]tetrazine-8-carboxamide (nor-temozolomide) and in situ generation of the anion of nor-temozolomide from an N-3-hydroxymethyl derivative of temozolomide are reported. Alkylation of the anion of nor-temozolomide with methyl iodide gave a new route to temozolomide avoiding the use of methyl isocyanate. A series of new 3-substituted analogues of temozolomide were also prepared by electrophilic substitution of the nor-temozolomide anion but this approach is so far restricted to certain electrophiles.
8 citations