SRC kinase inhibitors: an update on patented compounds

The cytoplasmatic tyrosine in kinase c-Src is involved in the regulation of several cell functions including adhesion, invasion, proliferation, survival and angiogenesis. Src activity is strictly regulated in healthy cells, whereas its overexpression or hyperactivation plays a critical role during tumor development. Recently it has been suggested that the oncogenic potential of Src is linked to its role in the activation of key signalling molecules involved in several cell pathways, rather than its direct activity. For all these reasons Src represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of tumors. In this article a number of examples of c-Src inhibitors appeared in selected patents from 2006 to early 2011 will be reported, focusing on their chemical features and, whenever possible, on structure- activity relationships and mechanism of action. Examples of type I or II ATP-competitive inhibitors or substrate competitive inhibitors will be presented. The research in this field is very active and will probably lead to the discovery of therapeutically useful compounds, both c-Src selective and multitargeted inhibitors, that acting on different cell pathways could be more effective in blocking cancer development. However, only the results of clinical trials will show in the near future the most promising compounds.