Review Article: Efficacy and Safety of JNK Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy

The c-Jun N-terminal protein kinases (JNKs) are members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. JNK1, JNK2, and JNK3 are three isoforms encoded by distinct genes. JNK signaling controls a variety of biological functions, such as cell proliferation, survival, apoptosis, and differentiation. Additionally, it controls the death and survival of cancer cells. Many studies show that JNK-driven tumorigenesis plays a major role in various cancers. Because JNKs are potential targets for cancer therapy since they are activated aberrantly in many cancers, the development of efficient and specific JNK inhibitors is the current focus in cancer therapeutics. This review provides insights into the development of new JNK inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and enhances understanding of JNK's involvement in cancer progression.