• Min Zeng, Baibei Wu, Wenjie Wei, Zihan Jiang, Peiqiang Li, Yuanting Quan, and Xiaobo Hu.
• Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
• Chin. Med. J. 2024 Jun 20; 137 (12): 138913981389-1398.

AbstractCancer is a major global health issue. Effective therapeutic strategies can prolong patients' survival and reduce the costs of treatment. Drug repurposing, which identifies new therapeutic uses for approved drugs, is a promising approach with the advantages of reducing research costs, shortening development time, and increasing efficiency and safety. Disulfiram (DSF), a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug used to treat chronic alcoholism, has a great potential as an anticancer drug by targeting diverse human malignancies. Several studies show the antitumor effects of DSF, particularly the combination of DSF and copper (DSF/Cu), on a wide range of cancers such as glioblastoma (GBM), breast cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma. In this review, we summarize the antitumor mechanisms of DSF/Cu, including induction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and various cell death signaling pathways, and inhibition of proteasome activity, as well as inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling. Furthermore, we highlight the ability of DSF/Cu to target cancer stem cells (CSCs), which provides a new approach to prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis. Strikingly, DSF/Cu inhibits several molecular targets associated with drug resistance, and therefore it is becoming a novel option to increase the sensitivity of chemo-resistant and radio-resistant patients. Studies of DSF/Cu may shed light on its improved application to clinical tumor treatment.Copyright © 2024 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.

25 keywords...

hide…