From the perspective of psycho-oncology,
antipsychotics are widely used for patients with
cancer. Although some
antipsychotic drugs have anti-
tumor effects, these
antipsychotic drugs are not applicable for
cancer patients because of their severe side effects.
Brexpiprazole, a novel
serotonin-
dopamine modulator with an improved side effect profile, was developed as a drug that is structurally and pharmacologically related to
aripiprazole, which was reported to have anti-
cancer effects. However, it remains unknown whether
brexpiprazole has anti-
cancer effects. In this study, we examined whether
brexpiprazole has anti-
tumor effects in
cancer cells and cancer stem cells (CSCs) of
glioblastoma,
pancreatic cancer, and
lung cancer.
Brexpiprazole suppressed cell growth and induced cell death in the
cancer cells and the CSCs, and decreased the CSC properties of the CSCs.
Brexpiprazole did not exert any cytotoxic effects on non-
cancer cells at the anti-
cancer effect-inducing concentration. In the
cancer cells and the CSCs,
brexpiprazole reduced the expression of
survivin, an
anti-apoptotic protein, whose reduction sensitizes
tumor cells to chemotherapeutic
reagents. In the preclinical model in which pancreatic CSCs were subcutaneously implanted into nude mice,
brexpiprazole suppressed
tumor growth, in addition to reducing the expression of Sox2, a marker for CSCs, and
survivin. This suggests that
brexpiprazole is a promising
antipsychotic drug with anti-
tumor effects and an improved safety profile.