Flunarizine exhibits in vitro efficacy against lymphoma and multiple myeloma cells.
BACKGROUND/AIM
Novel agents such as lenalidomide and bortezomib have significantly improved today's therapy of multiple myeloma. Despite recent innovations, new therapeutic options are needed. The Wingless-related integration site (WNT) pathway is aberrantly activated in lymphoma and myeloma and therefore renders WNT signaling molecules attractive for the development of targeted therapies. Flunarizine was used in this study as it has chemical features similar to those of other known WNT inhibitors and already proven proapoptotic properties in leukemia cells.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
The antitumor apoptotic effect of flunarizine at doses ranging from 0.1-200 μM was investigated on three human lymphoma cell lines, one murine and four human myeloma cell lines by 3'3-Dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide and propidium iodide staining in flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Flunarizine induced significant apoptotic activity in all tested myeloma and lymphoma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner.


CONCLUSION
Our results reveal a significant selective induction of apoptosis by flunarizine and suggest an in vivo effect against lymphoma and myeloma.
['Schmeel|Leonard Christopher|LC|', 'Schmeel|Frederic Carsten|FC|', 'Kim|Young|Y|', 'Blaum-Feder|Sabine|S|', 'Endo|Tomoyuki|T|', 'Schmidt-Wolf|Ingo G H|IG|']
D045744:Cell Line, Tumor D002470:Cell Survival D005444:Flunarizine D006801:Humans D008223:Lymphoma D009101:Multiple Myeloma
Flunarizine lymphoma multiple myeloma WNT pathway cancer therapy