Recent discovery of non-nucleobase thymidine phosphorylase inhibitors targeting cancer

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP, EC 2.4.2.4), an enzyme involved in pyrimidine salvage pathway, is identical to platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) and gliostatin. It is extremely upregulated in a variety of solid tumours. The TP amplification is associated with concomitant overexpression of many angiogenic factors such as matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), interleukins (ILs), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) etc., resulting in promotion of angiogenesis and cancer metastasis. In addition, overshooting TP level protects tumour cells from apoptosis and helps cell survival. Thus, TP is identified as a prime target for developing novel anticancer therapies. Pioneering research activities investigated a large number of TP inhibitors, most of which are pyrimidine or purine analogues. Recently, an array of structurally diverse non-nucleobase derivatives was designed, synthesized and established as promising TP inhibitors. This review, following an outline on the TP structure and functions, gives an overview of the recent advancement of various non-nucleobase TP inhibitors as novel anti-cancer agents.