Medicinal Chemistry Targeting Mitochondria: From New Vehicles and Pharmacophore Groups to Old Drugs with Mitochondrial Activity.

ABSTRACT: Interest in tumor cell mitochondria as a pharmacological target has been rekindled in recent years. This attention is due in part to new publications documenting heterogenous characteristics of solid tumors, including anoxic and hypoxic zones that foster cellular populations with differentiating metabolic characteristics. These populations include tumor-initiating or cancer stem cells, which have a strong capacity to adapt to reduced oxygen availability, switching rapidly between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation as sources of energy and metabolites. Additionally, this cell subpopulation shows high chemo- and radioresistance and a high capacity for tumor repopulation. Interestingly, it has been shown that inhibiting mitochondrial function in tumor cells affects glycolysis pathways,

SUBMITTER: Catalan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7698797 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature