title: Inhibitors of topoisomerases as anticancer drugs: problems and prospects.
abstract: DNA topoisomerases, which solve topological problems associated with various DNA transactions, are the targets of many therapeutic agents. Various topoisomerase inhibitors especially, topo-poisons, camptothecin (topo-I) and etoposide (topo-II) are some of the drugs that are used in the current treatment protocols, particularly for the treatment of leukemia (AML, ALL etc). However, tumor resistance, normal and non-specific tissue cytotoxicity are the limitations for successful development of these drugs as one of the primary therapeutic agents for the treatment of tumors in vitro. This brief review presents the current understanding about cytotoxicity development and outlines various approaches to overcome the limitations for enhancing the efficacy of topo-poison based anticancer drugs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Brig S K Mazumdar Marg, Delhi 110054, India. bsd@inmas.org
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Dwarakanath
authors.forename: Divya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khaitan
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mathur
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D059003:Topoisomerase Inhibitors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D059003:Topoisomerase Inhibitors