Because nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a ubiquitously expressed proinflammatory transcription
factor that regulates the expression of over 500 genes involved in cellular transformation,
survival, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and inflammation, the
NF-κB signaling pathway has become a potential target for pharmacological intervention.
A wide variety of agents can activate NF-κB through canonical and noncanonical pathways.
Canonical pathway involves various steps including the phosphorylation, ubiquitination,
and degradation of the inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBα), which leads to the nuclear translocation
of the p50-p65 subunits of NF-κB followed by p65 phosphorylation, acetylation and
methylation, DNA binding, and gene transcription. Thus, agents that can inhibit protein
kinases, protein phosphatases, proteasomes, ubiquitination, acetylation, methylation,
and DNA binding steps have been identified as NF-κB inhibitors. Because of the critical
role of NF-κB in cancer and various chronic diseases, numerous inhibitors of NF-κB
have been identified. In this review, however, we describe only small molecules that
suppress NF-κB activation, and the mechanism by which they block this pathway.
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