Open AccessThe antineoplastic properties of FTY 720: evidence for the repurposing of fingolimod
Author(s) -
Patmanathan Sathya Narayanan,
Yap Lee Fah,
Murray Paul G.,
Paterson Ian C.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.12635
Subject(s) - fingolimod , repurposing , pharmacology , chemistry , medicine , biology , immunology , multiple sclerosis , ecology
Almost all drugs approved for use in humans possess potentially beneficial ‘off‐target’ effects in addition to their principal activity. In some cases this has allowed for the relatively rapid repurposing of drugs for other indications. In this review we focus on the potential for re‐purposing FTY 720 (also known as fingolimod, Gilenya ™ ), an immunomodulatory drug recently approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis ( MS ). The therapeutic benefit of FTY 720 in MS is largely attributed to the immunosuppressive effects that result from its modulation of sphingosine 1‐phosphate receptor signalling. However, this drug has also been shown to inhibit other cancer‐associated signal transduction pathways in part because of its structural similarity to sphingosine, and consequently shows efficacy as an anti‐cancer agent both in vitro and in vivo . Here, we review the effects of FTY 720 on signal transduction pathways and cancer‐related cellular processes, and discuss its potential use as an anti‐cancer drug.