title: Anthracyclines and ellipticines as DNA-damaging anticancer drugs: recent advances.
abstract: Over the past forty years, anthracyclines and ellipticines have attracted attention as promising cytostatics. In this review, we focus on their mechanisms of cytoxicity, DNA-damaging effects and adverse side-effects. We also summarize ways to enhance the therapeutic effects of these drugs together with a decrease in their adverse effects. Current drug design strategies are focused on drug bioavailability and their tissue targeting, whereas drug delivery to specific intracellular compartments is rarely addressed. Therefore, therapies utilizing the antineoplastic activities of anthracyclines and ellipticines combined with novel strategies such as nanotechnologies for safer drug delivery, as well as strategies based on gene therapy, could significantly contribute to medical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic. kizek@sci.muni.cz
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kizek
authors.forename: Vojtech
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hrabeta
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eckschlager
authors.forename: Svatopluk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smutny
authors.forename: Jaroslav V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Burda
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frei
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stiborova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018736:DNA Adducts; D004249:DNA Damage; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004611:Ellipticines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018736:DNA Adducts; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004611:Ellipticines; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species