Antidepressant drug could be effective against breast cancer

An antidepressant drug, Selegiline, is showing promise as a cost-effective treatment option for breast cancer, according to recent research. With the high costs, lengthy development times, and rigorous requirements for drug trials and regulatory approvals, finding new and effective anticancer medications has been a challenging process. However, the practice of drug repurposing—using existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes—is gaining traction among biomedical scientists.

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Dr. Asis Bala and his team of researchers at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) in Guwahati, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, are leading efforts in this area. Their research focuses on developing improved therapeutic strategies for cancer management through drug repurposing.

The team has discovered that Selegiline (L-deprenyl), an antidepressant from the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor class, could potentially be repurposed as an anticancer agent for treating breast cancer. Their study, published in the journal “Medical Oncology,” suggests that Selegiline may effectively target and kill breast cancer cells, including estrogen and progesterone-positive (ER+ & PR+) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells.

According to their findings, Selegiline induces cell death in breast cancer cells through a mechanism that does not rely on reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, the drug appears to inhibit a process known as protein kinase C phosphorylation in breast cancer cells, which could be involved in the cell death triggered by Selegiline.

The integrated network pharmacological studies conducted by the team demonstrated that Selegiline interacts with ten genes intricately linked to various types of cancer, revealing significant networking with genes and diseases. The research also included a preliminary comparative evaluation of Selegiline’s efficacy across six different cancer cell lines, where it showed promising results, particularly in breast cancer.

The study opens new avenues for biomedical scientists to explore the potential of existing drugs like Selegiline in cancer treatment, offering hope for more affordable and accessible cancer therapies in the future. The findings underscore the importance of drug repurposing in the ongoing search for effective cancer treatments, particularly in low-resource settings where the cost of new drug development remains prohibitive.