Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39791161›Full record

ReviewCurrent medicinal chemistry2025

A Review on Branched-Chain Amino Acid Aminotransferase (BCAT) Inhibitors: Current Status, Challenges and Perspectives.

Xiansheng Zhang, Xinyuan Zhu, Yong Li, Yan Li, Wen Luo, Maaz Khan, Jiamin Pan, Hong Pan, Hua Xie, Guilong Zhao

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Current medicinal chemistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. The metabolic profiles of cancer stem cells.Stem cell research & therapy · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Metabolic hallmarks of trastuzumab resistance.Expert opinion on therapeutic targets · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Xiansheng ZhangCollege of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, 277160, China.
Xinyuan ZhuZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.
Yong LiZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.
Yan LiState Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Wen LuoZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.
Maaz KhanZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.
Jiamin PanZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.
Hong PanZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.
Hua XieZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0207-4500
Guilong ZhaoZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, 528400, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8170-2909

Funding

Creative Research Group of Zhongshan City (Lingnan Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation team) CXTD2022011Dazhou Applied Basic Research Foundation 23YYJC0002Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation 2023A1515012259Zhongshan Municipal Natural Science Foundation 210730214049987, 221018194369472
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential amino acids for humans and play an indispensable role in many physiological and pathological processes. Branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase (BCAT) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the metabolism of BCAAs. BCAT is upregulated in many cancers and implicated in the development and progress of some other diseases, such as metabolic and neurological diseases; and therefore, targeting BCAT might be a potential therapeutic approach for these diseases. There are two isoforms of BCAT, i.e., cytoplasmic BCAT1 (or BCATc) and mitochondrial BCAT2 (or BCATm). The discovery of BCAT inhibitors was initiated by Warner-Lambert, a subsidiary of Pfizer, in 2000, followed by many other pharmaceutical companies, such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Ergon, Icagen, Agios, and Bayer. Strategies of high-throughput screening (HTS), DNA-Encoded library technology (ELT), and fragment-based screening (FBS) have been employed for hit identification, followed by structural optimization. Despite low selectivity, both BCAT1 and BCAT2 selective inhibitors were individually developed, each with a few chemical structural classes. The most advanced BCAT1 inhibitor is BAY-069, discovered by Bayer, which has a potent enzymatic inhibitory activity against BCAT1 and a decent in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic profile but displayed weaker cellular inhibitory activity and almost no anti-proliferative activity. There are no BCAT inhibitors currently under investigation in clinical trials. Further studies are still needed to discover BCAT inhibitors with a more druggable profile for proof of concept. This review focuses on the latest progress of studies on the understanding of the physiology and pathology of BCAT and the discovery and development of BCAT inhibitors. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) and the druggability, and the challenges of BCAT inhibitors are discussed, with the aim of inspiring the discovery and development of BCAT inhibitors in the future.

Indexed as

Enzyme InhibitorsTransaminasesAmino Acids, Branched-ChainAnimalsHumansAmino Acids, Branched-Chainbranched-chain-amino-acid transaminaseEnzyme InhibitorsTransaminasesBAY-069branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase (BCAT)Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA)DNA-encoded library.structure-activity relationship (SAR)tumor

Identifiers

PMID39791161

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.