Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Studying Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Orthotopic Breast Cancer Model
Published on: March 20, 2020
Repurposing Drugs as Novel Triple-negative Breast Cancer Therapeutics
Amiya Das1, Pallavi Agarwal1, Gaurav Kumar Jain2
1Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine & Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Sector-125, Noida 201313, India.
Background:
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive form of Breast Cancer (BC), with high rates of metastasis and recurrence and limited treatment options. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy, for example, have several harmful side effects, and no FDA-approved therapies are currently available. Repurposing old clinically approved drugs to target various TNBC targets is a novel method that has fewer side effects and leads to successful, low-cost drug development in a shorter amount of time. Medicinal plants containing various phytoconstituents (flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, essential oils, tannins, glycosides, lactones) play a very crucial role in combating various types of diseases and are used in the drug development process because of having lesser side effects.
Objective:
The present review summarizes various categories of repurposed drugs that target multiple targets of TNBC, as well as phytochemical categories that target TNBC singly or in combination with old synthetic drugs.
Methods:
Literature information was collected from various databases such as Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline to understand and clarify the role and mechanism of repurposed synthetic drugs and phytoconstituents against TNBC by using keywords like "breast cancer", "repurposed drugs", "TNBC" and "phytoconstituents".
Results:
Various repurposed drugs and phytochemicals that target different signaling pathways and exert their cytotoxic activities on TNBC cells ultimately lead to cell apoptosis, reducing the recurrence rate and stopping the metastasis process.
Conclusion:
Inhibitory effects can be seen at various levels, providing information and evidence to researchers in the drug development process. As a result, more research and investigations are needed to develop better therapeutic treatment options for TNBC.
Insights
Repurposing existing drugs and utilizing plant-derived compounds offers a promising, low-cost strategy to combat aggressive Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). These approaches target multiple TNBC pathways, reducing metastasis and recurrence with fewer side effects.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Natural Product Chemistry
Background:
- Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer with limited treatment options and high recurrence rates.
- Current treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy have significant side effects, and no specific FDA-approved therapies exist for TNBC.
- Drug repurposing and the use of phytoconstituents from medicinal plants present a novel, cost-effective approach with potentially fewer side effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize repurposed drugs and phytochemicals targeting TNBC.
- To explore the mechanisms by which these agents combat TNBC, either alone or in combination with existing drugs.
- To provide evidence for researchers in the drug development process for TNBC.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted using databases like PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline.
- Keywords included "breast cancer", "repurposed drugs", "TNBC", and "phytoconstituents".
- Information was gathered to understand the role and mechanisms of action of repurposed drugs and phytoconstituents against TNBC.
Main Results:
- Repurposed drugs and phytochemicals target various signaling pathways in TNBC cells.
- These agents exhibit cytotoxic activities, leading to apoptosis (programmed cell death) in TNBC cells.
- The identified agents show potential in reducing cancer recurrence and inhibiting metastasis.
Conclusions:
- Repurposed drugs and phytoconstituents demonstrate inhibitory effects against TNBC at multiple levels.
- These findings offer valuable insights for developing novel therapeutic strategies for TNBC.
- Further research is essential to translate these findings into effective clinical treatments for TNBC.
Related Concept Videos
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
02:50Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...