Empagliflozin: a potential anticancer drug

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Empagliflozin is a well-tolerated sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor used for diabetes treatment.
• Beyond glycemic control, empagliflozin exhibits cardioprotective, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative stress effects.
• Emerging research indicates potential anticancer properties of empagliflozin.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the anticancer effects of empagliflozin.
• To explore the potential of empagliflozin as a therapeutic agent in cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing scientific literature on empagliflozin and its effects on cancer cells.
• Analysis of studies investigating SGLT2 expression in various cancer cell lines.
• Evaluation of empagliflozin's impact on tumor cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis.

Main Results:

• Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) is expressed in multiple cancer cell lines.
• Empagliflozin demonstrates significant inhibitory effects on specific tumor cell types.
• Observed effects include inhibition of proliferation, reduced migration, and induction of apoptosis in cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• Empagliflozin exhibits promising anticancer effects, including antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities.
• The findings suggest empagliflozin could be a valuable therapeutic option for cancer treatment, in addition to its established roles in diabetes and heart failure management.
• Further research is warranted to fully elucidate empagliflozin's anticancer mechanisms and clinical utility.