Nelfinavir's Anti-Cancer Effects Through Weak Inhibition of Kinases
Author Information
Author(s): Xie Li, Evangelidis Thomas, Xie Lei, Bourne Philip E.
Primary Institution: Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego
Hypothesis
Weak but broad spectrum protein kinase inhibition by Nelfinavir contributes to its therapeutic effect against different types of cancer.
Conclusion
Nelfinavir can inhibit multiple protein kinases, which may explain its broad-spectrum anti-cancer effects.
Supporting Evidence
- Nelfinavir was shown to inhibit multiple members of the protein kinase-like superfamily.
- The computational predictions were supported by kinase activity assays.
- Nelfinavir's binding affinities were comparable to those of known inhibitors.
- Existing experimental and clinical evidence supports the anti-cancer effects of Nelfinavir.
Takeaway
Nelfinavir, a drug used for HIV, can also help fight cancer by weakly blocking several proteins that help cancer cells grow.
Methodology
The study used a structural proteome-wide off-target pipeline integrating molecular dynamics simulations and binding affinity calculations to identify Nelfinavir's off-targets.
Limitations
The study is limited by the availability of 3-D structures of human proteins and the flexibility of Nelfinavir may affect binding affinity.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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