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Current Cancer Drug Targets

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1568-0096
ISSN (Online): 1873-5576

Research Article

Revealing New Prospects: Antipsychotic Drugs Exert Anti-Tumor Effects against Gastric Cancer through Inducing Apoptosis

In Press, (this is not the final "Version of Record"). Available online 09 July, 2024
Author(s): Omolbanin Amjadi, Akbar Hedayatizadeh-Omran, Ehsan Zaboli, Ghasem Janbabaei, Sergio A Lira and Ghasem Ahangari*
Published on: 09 July, 2024

DOI: 10.2174/0115680096303479240614061136

Abstract

Background and Objective: Globally, Gastric Cancer (GC) ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. GC is a multifaceted malignancy with diverse etiologies; however, understanding the shared molecular mechanisms can aid in discovering novel targeted therapies for GC. This study has employed a drug repositioning approach to explore new drug candidates for treating GC.

Methods: The human GC cell lines AGS, MKN-45, and KATO-III were treated with different concentrations of dopamine, cabergoline, thioridazine, and entacapone to determine effective doses and IC50 values. In vitro, cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines was screened based on dose/time using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) in each group. The percentage of apoptotic cells was evaluated using Annexin V/PI staining.

Results: Dopamine, cabergoline, thioridazine, and entacapone elicited cytotoxic effects on AGS and KATO-III cells in a dose-dependent manner and elevated the percentage of Annexin V-positive cells, suggesting the occurrence of apoptosis. The expression of Bcl-2 and PCNA was significantly decreased, whereas the expression of Bax was considerably increased in the AGS and KATO-III cells compared to that in the blank group (p < 0.05); however, no similar effect was observed in MKN-45 cells.

Conclusion: Through in vitro experiments, this study provides evidence that the antipsychotic drugs cabergoline, dopamine, thioridazine, and entacapone can inhibit gastric cancer growth in AGS and KATO-III cells. These findings suggest that these drugs could be repurposed as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of gastric cancer.


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