title: Novel methods and strategies in the discovery of TACE inhibitors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a key player in inflammation and joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One treatment approach to exclude TNF-α from the biological system is by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme (TACE), the enzyme responsible for the production of its active form. To date, a number of TACE inhibitors have been reported in the literature from various strategies and methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  The following article presents the design and development strategies for the discovery of novel TACE inhibitors which could be of therapeutic utility for the alleviation of inflammatory conditions. The review is based on literature of the subject from 2005 onward.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Discovery of a selective TACE inhibitor has remained a major goal for many academic and pharmaceutical industrial research laboratories for quite some time. Identification of selective TACE inhibitors has proved elusive until recently due to structural similarities between TACE and MMPs. The differences in the shape and size of the S1' pocket of TACE and MMPs could be exploited to design selective TACE inhibitors devoid of any MMP inhibitory activity in the near future. It would be a Herculean task to develop a specific TACE inhibitor for clinical treatment of RA because binding subsites of TACE and MMPs are quite similar. However, developments taking place currently in the field as well as in the application of molecular modeling techniques at a wider scale could yet provide clinically useful selective TACE inhibitors in the not too distant future.
authors.affiliation: The M.S. University of Baroda, Faculty of Technology & Engineering, Pharmacy Department, Kalabhavan, Vadodara-390 001, India.
authors.forename: Prashant R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Murumkar
authors.forename: Rajani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giridhar
authors.forename: Mange Ram
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Yadav
mesh_terms: D051722:ADAM Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000072198:ADAM17 Protein; D015195:Drug Design; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D051722:ADAM Proteins; D000072198:ADAM17 Protein; C000606462:ADAM17 protein, human