Repurposed Drugs Against Lung Cancer

Abstract

Drug Repurposing Evaluates Established Medicines For Therapeutic Indications Beyond Their Original Use. In Lung Cancer, Repurposing Is Attractive Because Existing Pharmacological And Safety Information Can Accelerate Hypothesis Generation, While Several Non-oncology Drugs Influence Pathways Involved In Tumor Growth, Angiogenesis, Metabolism, Inflammation And Cellular Survival. Itraconazole, An Imidazole/triazole Antifungal Drug, Has Attracted Particular Interest Because Preclinical Studies Describe Anti-angiogenic And Signaling Effects And Clinical Studies Have Explored Its Use With Chemotherapy In Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, Anticancer Activity Demonstrated In Experimental Systems Does Not Establish Clinical Efficacy. This Review Discusses The Scientific Rationale For Repurposing Drugs Against Lung Cancer, With Emphasis On Itraconazole And Nano-vesicular Delivery. It Describes Molecular Mechanisms, In-silico Screening, Formulation Development, In-vitro Cytotoxicity, Apoptosis And Cellular Uptake Assays, In-vivo Evaluation, Pharmacokinetics, Safety, Translational Challenges And Future Directions.

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