Biswadeep Sen, Amity University Kolkata
Every cancerous outline hosts various problems for us, and cervical cancer is no different. But recent studies show that we have indeed found a way to tackle these “slippery opponents” of ours and might be closer to finding a permanent solution.
The oncoproteins E6 and E7 of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are crucial for cervical cancers induced by viruses. Hence targeting these proteins is a must if we are to treat the disease. A green solvent-free method of synthesizing novel and bridgehead imidazoles might pave the way for the treatment of HPV. Imidazoles are certain organic aromatic compounds which form a part of many drugs such as antibiotics, sedatives and antifungal preparations. This recent study shows that two imidazoles-based compounds have produced promising HR-HPV inhibition with an efficacy rate as high as approximately 96%.
Results obtained from western blot analysis showed that both the compounds seem to tame down the regulation of oncoproteins E6 and E7, coupled with increased production of two other tumor suppressor proteins, namely p53 and pRb. Cell cycle analysis showed that one of the drugs of interest could induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) of the cancerous cells by arresting them at the G1 phase of the cell cycle. In this way, the drug efficiently controls the increase in the population of the cancerous cells.
However, the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination) profiles of the target compounds are still being studied to unlock their full potential as effective candidates for drugs against HPV.
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Source: Aisha Y. Hassan, Samiha A. El-Sebaey, Moshira. A. El-Deeb, Mona S. Elzoghbic; 2021; Potential Anticancer Effect of Imidazoles and Bridgehead Imidazoles Generated By HPV-Induced Cervical Carcinomas via Reactivating the P53/ pRb Pathway and inhibition of CA IX; Journal of Molecular Structure; 129865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.129865
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