Kevetrin is a water-soluble, small molecule activator of the tumor suppressor protein p53, with potential antineoplastic activity. p53 functions by activating proteins that repair DNA and kill cells that have genetic mutations such as in cancers. Research experiments show that when cancer cells are treated with Kevetrin, it activates p53 which induces p21, a protein that inhibits cancer cell growth. p53 also induces PUMA (p53 up-regulated modulator of apoptosis), a protein that causes tumor cell death.
