Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition in cancer therapy: are we close to maturity?

Background: During the last few years an increasing number of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have been appearing in the context of cancer therapy. This is mainly due to a better knowledge of the best-characterized member of the PARP family of enzymes, PARP-1, further reinforced by the recognition of the clinical benefits arising from its inhibition. Objective/method: The aim of this review is to give the reader an update on PARP inhibition in cancer therapy, by covering both the scientific (SciFinder (R) search) and the patent literature (Chemical Abstract (R)/Derwent (R) search) published recently (2005 - 2008). Conclusions: More patient-compliant orally available PARP-1 inhibitor clinical candidates, along with their possible use as single agents in specific, molecularly defined cancer indications, increase the expectations for this therapeutic approach. The growing understanding of the biological role of other PARPs, such as Tankyrase 1, may be of interest as new potential targets. Besides the classical NAD-mimicking pharmacophore, additional compounds, which either do not resemble nicotinamide or exploit different binding sites, are emerging.