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Published on: August 23, 2019
Leflunomide suppresses growth in human medullary thyroid cancer cells
Amal Alhefdhi1, Jocelyn F Burke, Aaron Redlich
1Endocrine Surgery Research, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin, and Carbon Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin.
Background:
Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a neuroendocrine tumor that arises from the calcitonin-secreting parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland. Leflunomide (LFN) is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and its active metabolite teriflunomide has been identified as a potential anticancer drug. In this study we investigated the ability of LFN to similarly act as an anticancer drug by examining the effects of LFN treatment on MTC cells.
Methods:
Human MTC-TT cells were treated with LFN (25-150 μmol/L) and Western blotting was performed to measure levels of neuroendocrine markers. MTT assays were used to assess the effect of LFN treatment on cellular proliferation.
Results:
LFN treatment downregulated neuroendocrine markers ASCL1 and chromogranin A. Importantly, LFN significantly inhibited the growth of MTC cells in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
Treatment with LFN decreased neuroendocrine tumor marker expression and reduced the cell proliferation in MTC cells. As the safety of LFN in human beings is well established, a clinical trial using this drug to treat patients with advanced MTC may be warranted.
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