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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo
09:19

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: February 6, 2015

The experimental development of bioreductive drugs and their role in cancer therapy

P Workman1, I J Stratford

  • 1Cancer Research Campaign Beatson Laboratories, CRC Department of Medical Oncology, University of Glasgow, Bearsden, United Kingdom.

Cancer Metastasis Reviews
|June 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

Bioreductive drugs, activated by enzymes in low-oxygen tumors, generate cancer-killing compounds. These targeted therapies show great promise for effective cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Bioreductive drugs are activated by metabolic reduction to produce cytotoxic metabolites.
  • Tumor-specific hypoxia enhances bioreductive drug activation.
  • This targeted mechanism offers potential for selective cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the experimental development of bioreductive drugs.
  • To discuss the role of bioreductive agents in cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of experimental data on bioreductive drug development.
  • Analysis of clinical trial information for specific bioreductive agents.

Main Results:

  • Several classes of bioreductive drugs are under investigation, including N-oxides (e.g., tirapazamine), aziridinylnitroimidazoles (e.g., RSU 1069/RBU 6145), and quinones (e.g., indoloquinone EO9).
  • These agents leverage tumor hypoxia for targeted activation.
  • Ongoing research explores novel bioreductive drug structures.

Conclusions:

  • Bioreductive drugs demonstrate significant potential in cancer treatment due to their tumor-specific activation.
  • Further development and clinical trials are crucial for realizing the full therapeutic benefits of these agents.

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