The potential value of dequalinium chloride in the treatment of cancer: Focus on malignant glioma

• Published in: Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology 2021-04, Vol.48 (4), p.445-454
• Main Authors: Pan, Yuehai, Zhao, Shuai, Chen, Fan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Brain Neoplasms - drug therapy; Brain Neoplasms - metabolism; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Cancer; Central nervous system; Chloride; Chlorides; Dequalinium - pharmacology; Dequalinium - therapeutic use; dequalinium chloride; Glioblastoma; Glioblastoma cells; Glioma; Glioma - drug therapy; Glioma - pathology; High resistance; Humans; Mitochondria; Mitochondria - drug effects; Mitochondria - metabolism; Solid tumors; Tumors; XIAP protein
• ISSN: 0305-1870; 1440-1681; 1440-1681
• DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.13466

Dequalinium chloride has been known as one kind of antibiotic that displays a broad antimicrobial spectrum and has been clinically proven to be very safe. In recent years, studies have shown that dequalinium chloride can inhibit the growth of malignant tumours, and reports were mainly used for solid tumours. Glioblastoma is the most common malignant neuroepithelial tumour of the central nervous system in adults, and the prognosis of glioblastoma is poor as it has a high resistance to apoptosis. This review summarizes the current understanding of dequalinium chloride‐induced cancer cell apoptosis and its potential role in glioblastoma resistance and progression. Particularly, we focus on dequalinium chloride as it exerts a wide range of anti‐cancer activity through its ability to target and accumulate in the mitochondria, and it effectively inhibits the growth of glioblastoma cells in vitro and vivo. Dequalinium chloride is an inhibitor of XIAP and can also act as a mitochondrial targeting agent, which gives it an interesting perspective regarding recent advances in the treatment of malignant glioma. This review summarizes the current understanding of dequalinium chloride‐induced cancer cell apoptosis and its potential role in glioblastoma resistance and progression. The use of DQA‐modified mitochondrial liposomes to enhance the subcellular transport of chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer cells. By using DQA to modify the surface of liposomes, mitochondrial‐targeted liposomes carrying chemotherapy drugs were constructed.