The cells constituting our bodies keep homeostasis of living organisms by differentiation and proliferation depending on those needs. On the other hand, it has recently become clear that cell death, which has been considered to be a passive phenomenon, is strictly controlled, and is a physiological process that is required to maintain living organisms. "Apoptosis" attracts attention especially as active death in which cells result to death themselves, and the molecular mechanism of it has been elucidated in detail with the characteristic form change (reduction of cells, blebbing, nuclear condensation and fragmentation). In contrast to this, “necrosis” has been regarded as a passive and unphysiological death induced by a number of external causes.

However, participation of necrosis becomes clear with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, and ischemic diseases (myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction) and it has been presumed that there is some inducement mechanism in certain types of necrosis. Its entity, however, is still unknown, and so it is considered that the compound inhibiting necrosis becomes the key for mechanism elucidation.

With this background, we have succeeded in developing IM-54 that specifically suppresses necrosis by oxidative stress, without inhibiting apoptosis induced by a Fas ligand, which is a physiological cell death inducer, or by various anticancer agents. Using IM-54, we are now aiming at elucidation of the molecular mechanism of necrosis by oxidative stress.

Mikiko Sodeoka, Kosuke Dodo. Development of Selective Inhibitors of Necrosis, Chem. Rec. 10,308 - 314(2010)