Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
09:20
Preclinical Assessment of the Bioactivity of the Anticancer Coumarin OT48 by Spheroids, Colony Formation Assays, and Zebrafish Xenografts
Published on: June 26, 2018
Repositioning Mefloquine as an Anticancer Drug: An Evidence-Based Review
Erum Zafar1, Muhammad Faisal Maqbool1, Kaleem Maqsood2
1Institute of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, 54590, Pakistan.
Current Medicinal Chemistry
|May 15, 2026
Summary
Mefloquine, an antimalarial drug, shows significant anticancer potential. It effectively targets various cancers through apoptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis, offering new therapeutic avenues.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Drug repurposing offers a cost-effective strategy for novel cancer therapeutics.
- Mefloquine, FDA-approved for malaria since 1989, is being investigated for anticancer properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the anticancer potential of mefloquine.
- To explore its efficacy as a single agent and in combination therapy for various human malignancies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of preclinical studies (in vitro and in vivo).
- Analysis of mefloquine's molecular mechanisms against diverse cancer types.
Main Results:
- Mefloquine demonstrates anticancer activity in preclinical models for gastric, colorectal, prostate, cervical, breast cancers, glioblastoma, neuroblastoma, and leukemias.
- It induces apoptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis, effective against apoptosis-resistant cancer cells.
- Mefloquine enhances the efficacy of existing cancer drugs in combination therapy models.
Conclusions:
- Mefloquine exhibits broad-spectrum anticancer activity.
- Further investigation into mefloquine repurposing for monotherapy or combination cancer treatment is warranted.
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