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Repurposing the FDA-approved pinworm drug pyrvinium as a novel chemotherapeutic agent for intestinal polyposis.

Abstract
Mutations in the WNT-pathway regulator ADENOMATOUS POLYPOSIS COLI (APC) promote aberrant activation of the WNT pathway that is responsible for APC-associated diseases such as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and 85% of spontaneous colorectal cancers (CRC). FAP is characterized by multiple intestinal adenomas, which inexorably result in CRC. Surprisingly, given their common occurrence, there are few effective chemotherapeutic drugs for FAP. Here we show that the FDA-approved, anti-helminthic drug Pyrvinium attenuates the growth of WNT-dependent CRC cells and does so via activation of CK1α. Furthermore, we show that Pyrvinium can function as an in vivo inhibitor of WNT-signaling and polyposis in a mouse model of FAP: APCmin mice. Oral administration of Pyrvinium, a CK1α agonist, attenuated the levels of WNT-driven biomarkers and inhibited adenoma formation in APCmin mice. Considering its well-documented safe use for treating enterobiasis in humans, our findings suggest that Pyrvinium could be repurposed for the clinical treatment of APC-associated polyposes.
AuthorsBin Li, Colin A Flaveny, Camilla Giambelli, Dennis Liang Fei, Lu Han, Brian I Hang, Feng Bai, Xin-Hai Pei, Vania Nose, Oname Burlingame, Anthony J Capobianco, Darren Orton, Ethan Lee, David J Robbins
JournalPloS one (PLoS One) Vol. 9 Issue 7 Pg. e101969 ( 2014) ISSN: 1932-6203 [Electronic] United States
PMID25003333 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Pyrvinium Compounds
  • pyrvinium
Topics
  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (drug therapy)
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents (pharmacology)
  • Cell Survival (drug effects)
  • Drug Approval
  • Drug Repositioning
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • HCT116 Cells
  • Humans
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Pyrvinium Compounds (pharmacology)
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway (drug effects)

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