The Role of Dopamine in Repurposing Drugs for Oncology

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role within the brain by regulating a wide variety of cognitive and emotional processes. In cancer, its role is distinct and uncertain, but it is characterized by the interaction with its receptors that may be in the tumor cells; we have examples of different types of cancer with this characteristic, of which breast and colon cancer stand out. It is believed that dopamine and some of its receptors also influence other cellular processes such as cell proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion. The potential of these receptors has allowed the exploration of existing drugs, originally developed for non-oncological purposes, for the possible treatment of cancer. However, regarding the repurposing of drugs for cancer treatment, the role of dopamine is not so straightforward and needs to be clarified. For this reason, this review intends to present concepts associated with twelve drugs reused for oncology based on dopamine and its receptors. Some of them can behave as antagonists and inhibit tumor cell growth leading to cell death. Attention to this group of drugs may enhance the study of other pharmacological conditions such as signaling pathways related to cell proliferation and migration. Modulation of these pathways using drugs originally developed for other conditions may offer potential therapeutic opportunities in oncology. It is important to note that while the repurposing of oncology drugs based on dopamine signaling is promising, further studies are still needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved and determine the clinical efficacy and safety of these approaches.