Química medicinal

Proteasome Inhibitor Bortezomib: A Double-Edged Sword in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Azadeh Mehdad and Sônia Maria de Freitas

A steady flow of reports suggests that proteasome inhibitor bortezomib promotes tumor cell death by degradation of key proteins. Therefore, bortezomib has been gaining intense attention as an anti-neoplastic agent, being the first proteasome inhibitor drug to be used in multiple myeloma´s treatment. However, new evidences point to the adverse effects of bortezomib leading to the poor outcome in both hematological and solid tumors. Despite its therapeutic effects, deciphering the molecular mechanisms of bortezomib action as well as the mechanism(s) of resistance to bortezomib in cancer remains a problem to be conquered.