Monomethyl auristatin E exhibits potent cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines skbr3 and hek293

ABSTRACT

Background: Monomethyl auristatin E [MMAE] is a synthetic analog of dolastatin 10, a compound originally isolated from the marine mollusk. MMAE, as a highly potent microtubule inhibitor, exerts its potent cytotoxic effect by inhibiting microtubule assembly, tubulin-dependent GTP hydrolysis and microtubes polymerization. This molecule, by itself, lacks the tumor specificity required to elicit therapeutic benefit. Nevertheless, the extremely cytotoxic potential of MMAE could be harnessed in the form of MMAE-antibody conjugates. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of MMAE against breast [SKBR3] and kidney [HEK293] cancer cell lines in an in vitro cell-based assay