Recent Advances in the Development of Sigma Receptor Ligands as Cytotoxic Agents: A Medicinal Chemistry Perspective

Since their discovery as distinct receptor proteins, the specific physiopathological role of sigma receptors (sigma Rs) has been deeply investigated. It has been reported that these proteins, classified into two subtypes indicated as sigma(1) and sigma(2), might play a pivotal role in cancer growth, cell proliferation, and tumor aggressiveness. As a result, the development of selective sigma R ligands with potential antitumor properties attracted significant attention as an emerging theme in cancer research. This perspective deals with the recent advances of sigma R ligands as novel cytotoxic agents, covering articles published between 2010 and 2020. An up-to-date description of the medicinal chemistry of selective sigma R-1 and sigma R-2 ligands with antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities has been provided, including major pharmacophore models and comprehensive structure-activity relationships for each main class of sigma R ligands.