title: Recent Advances of Natural and Synthetic β-Carbolines as Anticancer Agents.
abstract: Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, being responsible for millions of deaths annually. Therefore, novel cancer chemotherapeutic agents are urgently needed to combat this devastating disease. β - Carboline alkaloids are an important class of natural products and medicinal molecules, which exert their anticancer activities through diverse mechanisms. In this review, we cover recent natural and synthetic β - carbolines with anticancer activity that have been reported in the literature (2010-July 2014), focusing on their chemical structures, anticancer properties, structure-activity relationships, and mechanisms of action.
authors.forename: Mingming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 34 Rainbow Drive, Hilo, HI 96720, USA. dianqing@hawaii.edu.
authors.forename: Dianqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001688:Biological Products / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002243:Carbolines / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D001688:Biological Products; D002243:Carbolines