Medicinal Aspects of PTP1B Inhibitors as Anti-Breast Cancer Agents: An Overview

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has gained interest as a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Besides metabolic signalling, PTP1B is a positive regulator of signalling pathways linked to ErbB2-induced breast tumorigenesis. Substantial evidence proves that its overexpression is involved in breast cancer, which suggests that selective PTP1B inhibition might be effective in breast cancer treatment. Therefore, huge research is being carried out on PTP1B inhibitors and their activity against breast cancer development. To date, only two PTP1B inhibitors, viz. ertiprotafib and trodusquemine, have entered clinical trials. The discovery of selective inhibitors of PTP1B could open a new avenue in breast cancer treatment. In this review, we provide an extensive overview on the involvement of PTP1B in breast cancer, its pathophysiology, with special attention on the discovery and development of various natural as well as synthetic PTP1B inhibitors. This study will provide significant information to the researchers developing PTP1B inhibitors for breast cancer treatment.