Hypoxia inducible factor pathway inhibitors as anticancer therapeutics

Abstract

Hypoxia is a significant feature of solid tumor cancers. Hypoxia leads to a more malignant phenotype that is resistant to chemotherapy and radiation, is more invasive and has greater metastatic potential. Hypoxia activates the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway, which mediates the biological effects of hypoxia in tissues. The HIF complex acts as a transcription factor for many genes that increase tumor survival and proliferation. To date, many HIF pathway inhibitors indirectly affect HIF but there have been no clinically approved direct HIF inhibitors. This can be attributed to the complexity of the HIF pathway, as well as to the challenges of inhibiting protein–protein interactions.