Repositioning Lidocaine as an Anticancer Drug: The Role Beyond Anesthesia

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Drug Repositioning

Background:

• Cancer treatment faces challenges like recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
• Drug repositioning, repurposing existing drugs for new uses, offers a practical approach to developing new anticancer agents.
• Anesthetics, like lidocaine, are increasingly investigated for their potential anticancer activities beyond pain management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and analyze the anticancer potential of lidocaine.
• To summarize the mechanisms by which lidocaine affects cancer cells.
• To discuss the implications of lidocaine's anticancer properties for clinical application and drug discovery.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies investigating lidocaine's effects on cancer.
• Analysis of preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) data on lidocaine's anti-cancer mechanisms.
• Examination of ongoing clinical trials involving lidocaine for cancer treatment.

Main Results:

• Lidocaine demonstrates anticancer effects both as a single agent and as a chemosensitizer.
• Mechanisms include regulation of epigenetic changes, promotion of apoptosis, modulation of ABC transporters, and inhibition of metastasis and angiogenesis.
• Lidocaine exhibits anti-cancer activity in both in vitro and in vivo models.

Conclusions:

• Lidocaine possesses significant potential as an anticancer therapeutic agent through diverse mechanisms.
• Its role as a chemosensitizer and direct tumor suppressor warrants further investigation.
• Lidocaine is a promising candidate for drug repositioning in oncology, with ongoing clinical trials.