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Rediscovering nitroxoline: a metal-chelating agent bridging infection and cancer
Praveen Papareddy1, Sophie R M Mielke2, Marlowe Graham3
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Biomedical Center, Lund, Sweden.
None:
Nitroxoline, a legacy antimicrobial agent, is gaining attention for its potential repurposing in infectious diseases and oncology. Its broad-spectrum activity, including biofilm disruption and metal-chelating properties, supports diverse therapeutic applications. However, its systemic use is limited by rapid urinary excretion, short plasma half-life, and limited tissue distribution. In this review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of action, cross-kingdom activity, and anticancer effects of nitroxoline. Despite encouraging preclinical data, clinical translation is constrained by pharmacokinetic (PK) and regulatory challenges. As interest in repurposing established drugs grows, nitroxoline presents a compelling candidate for integration into modern therapeutic strategies across infectious and neoplastic disease domains.
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