Synthetic approaches towards tubulysins and derivatives thereof

Abstract

Tubulysins, linear tetrapeptides produced by several strains of myxobacteria, show an extremely high toxicity towards a wide range of cancer cell lines, with IC50 values in the nano or even picomolar range. Therefore, tubulysins and their derivatives might be suitable candidates for the development of antitumor drugs. Several synthetic approaches for tubulysins and derivates have been developed, which will be discussed in the review. © Kazmaier et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.