Celecoxib analogues for cancer treatment: An update on osu‐03012 and 2,5‐dimethyl‐celecoxib

Abstract

Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) is an important enzyme involved in prostaglandins biosynthesis from arachidonic acid. COX‐2 is frequently overexpressed in human cancers and plays a major tumor promoting function. Accordingly, many efforts have been devoted to efficiently target the catalytic site of this enzyme in cancer cells, by using COX‐2 specific inhibitors such as celecoxib. However, despite their potent anti‐tumor properties, the myriad of detrimental effects associated to the chronic inhibition of COX‐2 in healthy tissues, has considerably limited their use in clinic. In addition, increasing evidence indicate that these anti‐cancerous properties are not strictly dependent on the inhibition of the catalytic site. These findings have led to the development of non‐active COX‐2 inhibitors analogues aiming at preserving the antitumor effects of COX‐2 inhibitors without their side effects. Among them, two celecoxib derivatives, 2,5‐Dimethyl‐Celecoxib and OSU‐03012, have been developed and suggested for the treatment of viral (e.g., recently SARS‐CoV‐2), inflammatory, metabolic diseases and cancers. These molecules display stronger anti‐tumor properties than celecoxib and thus may represent promising anti‐cancer molecules. In this review, we discuss the impact of these two analogues on cancerous processes but also their potential for cancer treatment alone or in combination with existing approaches.