Apoptotic cell death is mediated by a family of cysteine-aspartyl protease enzymes known as caspases. These enzymes are essential for early development and provide important control mechanisms for both normal physiological and pathological events.
Disregulated apoptosis contributes to cell death associated with acute pathologies that include stroke, cardiac arrest, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, organ transplants, sepsis and multiple neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease.
The optimal strategies for using caspase inhibitors in cell culture applications remain to be defined. However the success of the
Z-VAD-FMK inhibitor demonstrates the possibility of significant improvements in cell culture and storage procedures.
Despite its remarkable success and widespread use as a research reagent, concerns over potential fluoromethylketone (FMK) mediated toxicity of Z-VAD-FMK especially at higher doses has limited its utility.
ICN Biomedicals' latest inhibitor, Q-VD-OPH, is a non-FMK new generation broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor that offers improvements in potency stability and toxicity over Z-VAD-FMK.
The improvements derive from significant changes in structural design and replacement of the putatively toxic fluoromethyl ketone (FK) with the non-toxic 2, 6-difluoropheoxy (OPH) group.
Enquiry No 92A
ICN Biomedicals is based in Irvine, California, USA. www.icnbiomed.com
