Structure and ligand-based design of P-glycoprotein inhibitors: a historical perspective

Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(27):4197-214. doi: 10.2174/138161212802430530.

Abstract

Computer-assisted drug design (CADD) is a valuable approach for the discovery of new chemical entities in the field of cancer therapy. There is a pressing need to design and develop new, selective, and safe drugs for the treatment of multidrug resistance (MDR) cancer forms, specifically active against P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Recently, a crystallographic structure for mouse P-gp was obtained. However, for decades the design of new P-gp inhibitors employed mainly ligand-based approaches (SAR, QSAR, 3D-QSAR and pharmacophore studies), and structure-based studies used P-gp homology models. However, some of those results are still the pillars used as a starting point for the design of potential P-gp inhibitors. Here, pharmacophore mapping, (Q)SAR, 3D-QSAR and homology modeling, for the discovery of P-gp inhibitors are reviewed. The importance of these methods for understanding mechanisms of drug resistance at a molecular level, and design P-gp inhibitors drug candidates are discussed. The examples mentioned in the review could provide insights into the wide range of possibilities of using CADD methodologies for the discovery of efficient P-gp inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Computer-Aided Design*
  • Crystallography
  • Drug Design
  • Drug Discovery
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Ligands