title: Inhibitors of TACE and Caspase-1 as anti-inflammatory drugs.
abstract: TNF-alpha neutralising agents such as Infliximab (Remicade), Etanercept (Enbrel) and the IL-1 receptor antagonist Anakinra (Kineret), are currently used clinically for the treatment of many inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. These protein preparations are expensive to manufacture and administer, need to be injected and can cause allergic reactions. An alternative approach to lowering the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in inflammatory disease, is to inhibit the enzymes that generate these cytokines using cheaper small molecules. This paper is a broad overview of the progress that has been achieved so far, with respect to small molecule inhibitor design and pharmacological studies (in animals and humans), for the metalloprotease Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha Converting Enzyme (TACE) and the cysteine protease Caspase-1 (Interleukin-1beta Converting Enzyme, ICE). Inhibitors of these two enzymes are currently considered to be good therapeutic targets that have the potential to provide relatively inexpensive and orally bioavailable anti-inflammatory agents in the future.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Drug Design and Development, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Giang T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abbenante
mesh_terms: D051722:ADAM Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000072198:ADAM17 Protein; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D051722:ADAM Proteins; D000072198:ADAM17 Protein; C000606462:ADAM17 protein, human