Abstract:
Wnt/
β-catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in the proliferation, growth, invasion, and metastasis of human cancers. Moreover,
β-catenin/T-cell factor 4 (TCF4) interaction regulates the transcription of the key oncogenes in Wnt/
β-catenin signaling pathway. Therefore,
β-catenin/TCF4 interaction would be a promising therapeutic target for the development of highly selective anticancer agents. At present, most ongoing small-molecule inhibitors targeting
β-catenin/TCF4 interaction, including PKF222-815, iCRT3/5/14, LF3, and sanguinarine, have been developed in preclinical studies for human cancer therapeutics. In this review, we summarized the research advances of up-to date inhibitors targeting
β-catenin/TCF4 interaction, including the molecular structure and cellular functions of
β-catenin in canonical Wnt signaling pathway. This review holds a hopeful avenue for the development of novel and highly selective Wnt inhibitors targeting
β-catenin/TCF4 interaction for future anticancer strategy.