Advances in the inhibitors of FLT-3 receptor tyrosine kinase

The FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT-3) is one of the class III receptor tyrosine kinases. FLT-3 is widely expressed in hematopoietic, immune and neural systems. The mutations (internal tandem duplication and point mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain) or its excessive expression can induce the tumor. Small molecular FLT-3 inhibitors are effective in the treatment of the tumor by blocking the conduction of the cell proliferation signals and accelerating the tumor cell apoptosis. Several small molecular FLT-3 inhibitors have been launched or are in the clinical stages. In this review, we described the classification based on their structures, which include four kinds: aryl ureas, pyrimidinamines, indolocarbazoles and others. Pharmacodynamics and results in clinical studies of some representative compounds are also introduced.