Affiliation:
1. Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box: 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Abstract
The concepts of drug repurposing and Sildenafil or blue pill are tightly linked over
the years. Indeed, in addition to its initial clinical application as an anti-hypertensive drug in
the pulmonary system, Sildenafil is also known for its beneficial effects in erectile dysfunction.
Moreover, evidence has been accumulated to support its value in anti-cancer therapy,
either alone or in combination with other clinically efficient chemotherapy drugs. In this review,
we focused on the old and recent in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrating the cellular
and molecular rationale for the application of Sildenafil in combination therapy in various
types of cancer. We emphasized on the different molecular targets as well as the different signaling
pathways involved in cancer cells. The pro-apoptotic effect of Sildenafil through nitric
oxide (NO)/ phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5)-dependent manner seems to be one of the most
common mechanisms. However, the activation of autophagy, as well as the modulation of the
anti-tumor immunity, constitutes the other pathways triggered by Sildenafil. Overall, the studies
converged to reveal the complexity of the anti-cancer potential of Sildenafil. Thus, through
our review, we aimed to present an updated and simplified picture of such repurposing of
Sildenafil in the field of oncology.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pharmacology,Molecular Medicine,Drug Discovery,Biochemistry,Organic Chemistry
Cited by
10 articles.
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