Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) constitute a diverse group of chemical compounds that bind to microtubules and affect their properties and function. Disruption of microtubules induces various cellular responses often leading to cell cycle arrest or cell death, the most common effect of MTAs. MTAs have found a plethora of practical applications in weed control, as fungicides and antiparasitics, and particularly in cancer treatment. Here we summarize the current knowledge of MTAs, the mechanisms of action and their role in cancer treatment. We further outline the potential use of MTAs in anti-metastatic therapy based on inhibition of cancer cell migration and invasiveness. The two main problems associated with cancer therapy by MTAs are high systemic toxicity and development of resistance. Toxic side effects of MTAs can be, at least partly, eliminated by conjugation of the drugs with various carriers. Moreover, some of the novel MTAs overcome the resistance mediated by both multidrug resistance transporters as well as overexpression of specific β-tubulin types. In anti-metastatic therapy, MTAs should be combined with other drugs to target all modes of cancer cell invasion.

中文翻译：

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微管靶向剂及其对癌症治疗的影响。

微管靶向剂（MTA）构成了与微管结合并影响其特性和功能的各种化学化合物。微管破裂引起各种细胞反应，通常导致细胞周期停滞或细胞死亡，这是MTA最常见的作用。MTA已在杂草控制中作为杀真菌剂和抗寄生虫剂，特别是在癌症治疗中，拥有大量实际应用。在这里，我们总结了MTA的最新知识，作用机制及其在癌症治疗中的作用。我们进一步概述了基于抑制癌细胞迁移和侵袭性的MTA在抗转移治疗中的潜在用途。与MTA进行癌症治疗有关的两个主要问题是高系统毒性和耐药性的发展。MTA的毒性副作用可能至少部分是 通过将药物与各种载体结合而消除。而且，一些新颖的MTA克服了多药耐药转运蛋白介导的耐药性以及特定β-微管蛋白类型的过表达。在抗转移疗法中，MTA应与其他药物联合使用，以靶向所有类型的癌细胞侵袭。