SNX-25a, a novel Hsp90 inhibitor, inhibited human cancer growth more potently than 17-AAG.

Abstract 17-Allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), a typical Hsp90 inhibitor derived from geldanamycin (GA), has entered Phase III clinical trials for cancer therapy. However, it has several significant limitations such as poor solubility, limited bioavailability and unacceptable hepatotoxicity. In this study, the anticancer activity and mechanism of SNX-25a, a novel Hsp90 inhibitor, was investigated comparing with that of 17-AAG. We showed that SNX-25a triggered growth inhibition more sensitively than 17-AAG against many human cancer cells, including K562, SW-620, A375, Hep-2, MCF-7, HepG2, HeLa, and A549 cell lines, especially at low concentrations (