Pharmacologic activation of p53 by small-molecule MDM2 antagonists

Restoring p53 activity by inhibiting the interaction between p53 and MDM2 represents an attractive approach for cancer therapy. To this end, a number of small-molecule p53-MDM2 binding inhibitors have been developed during the past several years. Nutlin-3 is a potent and selective small-molecule MDM2 antagonist that has shown considerable promise in pre-clinical studies. This review will highlight recent advances in the development of small-molecule MDM2 antagonists as potential cancer therapeutics, with special emphasis on Nutlin-3.