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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Protein Biochemistry for Basic and Applied Sciences
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1511281
This article is part of the Research Topic Emerging Advancements in the Carbonic Anhydrase Field View all 4 articles

Dual targeting Carbonic Anhydrase inhibitors as promising therapeutic approach: a structural overview

Provisionally accepted
Katia D'Ambrosio Katia D'Ambrosio Anna Di Fiore Anna Di Fiore *Emma Langella Emma Langella *
  • Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging - CNR, Napoli, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The dual-target inhibitor strategy is an evolving approach that holds great potential for treating complex diseases by addressing their multifactorial nature. It can enhance therapeutic outcomes, reduce side effects and avoid the emergence of drug resistance, particularly in conditions like cancer, inflammation and neurological disorders, where multiple pathways contribute to disease progression. Identifying suitable targets for a dual inhibitor approach requires a deep understanding of disease biology, knowledge of critical pathways, and selection of complementary or synergistic targets.Human carbonic anhydrases (hCAs) have been recognized as suitable drug targets for this therapeutic approach. These enzymes play a key role in maintaining pH balance, ion transport, and fluid regulation across various tissues and organs and their dysregulation has been associated to a variety of human pathologies. Consequently, the inhibition of hCAs combined to the possibility to modulate the activity of a second molecular target represents a promising way for developing more effective drugs.In this mini-review, we aim to present an overview of the most significant structural results related to the development of novel therapeutics employing hCA inhibitors as dual-targeting compounds for the treatment of complex diseases.

    Keywords: Dual targeting compounds, Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors, Crystallography, Multifactorial diseases, drug design

    Received: 14 Oct 2024; Accepted: 15 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 D'Ambrosio, Di Fiore and Langella. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Anna Di Fiore, Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging - CNR, Napoli, Italy
    Emma Langella, Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging - CNR, Napoli, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.