Discovery of podophyllotoxins

Mechanistic and Structural Studies of Apoform, Binary, and Ternary Complexes of the Arabidopsis Alkenal Double Bond Reductase At5g16970

“…For example, this pathway results in formation of the potent antiviral agent, podophyllotoxin (1), which also serves as a semi-synthetic source of the highly successful cancer chemotherapeutic treatments, teniposide, etoposide, and Etopophos (2)(3)(4). Other examples include: matairesinol and secoisolariciresinol, which are some of the dietary sources of the "mammalian" lignans, enterolactone/enterodiol, these being protective against the onset of various malignancies (5); the nordihydroguaiaretic acid derivatives, which show considerable promise against refractory cancers of the neck and the head (6); the potent antioxidant chlorogenic acid, which has well documented anticancer properties (7,8), as well as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (9); and the monomeric allyl/propenyl phenols such as chavicol and eugenol, which have well known antibacterial and analgesic properties (10).…”

Apoptotic Cells Can Deliver Chemotherapeutics to Engulfing Macrophages and Suppress Inflammatory Cytokine Production

“…Furthermore, as nuclear material is preferentially exposed on the surface of dying cells, cytotoxic drugs that directly target DNA may be more efficiently presented to interacting phagocytes. These two reasons may explain the differences we report between actinomycin D and etoposide, which causes DNA damage indirectly by inhibiting topoisomerase function (16,17).…”

Intérêt des lignanes dans la prévention et le traitement de cancers

“…Des études cliniques ont montré que la PTOX, à la manière de la colchicine, provoquait la mort cellulaire en arrêtant la mitose en métaphase ( Figure 4C). Cette propriété antimitotique est liée à sa capacité à inhiber la polymérisation de la tubuline et donc la formation des microtubules, en se combinant à la tubuline β sur le site d'interaction avec la colchicine [19] (Figure 4A). Toutefois, la très grande toxicité de la PTOX ne permet pas son utilisation directe comme anticancéreux.…”