Protein kinase C inhibitors: a patent review (2008 - 2009).

Introduction: The protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of multifunctional isoenzymes involved in apoptosis, migration, adhesion, tumorgenesis, cardiac hypertrophy, angiogenesis, platelet function and inflammation. It also plays a vital role in the regulation of signal transduction, cell proliferation and differentiation through positive and negative regulation of the cell cycle. In this work, we reviewed the existing PKC inhibitors and several patents linked to PKC inhibitors.