Monastrol: Unveiling the Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Therapeutic Potential – A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Cancer, one of the leading causes of death in the world, is characterized by the uncontrollable growth of defective cells in the body, creating lumps of cells known as tumors. Cells undergo uncontrollable growth when checkpoints in the cell cycle are overridden, allowing malignant cells to continue to grow without being killed. In recent studies, scientists have found that the compound monastrol is effective in arresting cells in the cell cycle and experiencing apoptosis or programmed cell death. Monastrol is of particular interest because it affects a kinesin called Eg5, a popular target for cancer therapies since it plays a crucial role in the formation of bipolar spindles during mitosis, which is responsible for dividing the cells. A kinesin is a class of protein that is involved in various cellular functions. Most importantly, their involvement in mitosis is what makes them important in cancer. By inhibiting the basal and microtubule stimulate ATPase activity of the Eg5 motor domain, the monastrol alters the ability of the Eg5 to generate force, thereby preventing it from maintaining the bipolar spindles and leading to cell death.