Desipramine inhibits the growth of a mouse skin squamous cell carcinoma cell line and affects glucocorticoid receptor-mediated transcription

In vitro anticancer effect of tricyclic antidepressant nortriptyline on multiple myeloma

Drug repurposing has been proved to be an effective strategy to meet the urgent need for novel anticancer agents for multiple myeloma (MM) treatment. In this work, we aimed to investigate the anticancer effect and mechanism of tricyclic antidepressant nortriptyline (NTP) on the U266 MM cell line. The in vitro inhibitory effect of NTP at various doses and time points was studied. The combination potential of cisplatin-NTP was also investigated. Cell cycle analysis and three flow cytometric apoptosis assays were performed. NTP showed dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effects on the U266 MM cell line. NTP had greater inhibitory effect than cisplatin (IC50 26 µM vs. 40 µM). The cisplatin-NTP combination is antagonistic. In addition to G2/M phase cell cycle arrest, NTP induced apoptosis as indicated by mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase-3 and annexin V assays. NTP has inhibitory and apoptotic effects on U266 MM cells. The cisplatin-NTP combination indicated strong antagonism, which may have significant clinical relevance since antidepressants are commonly employed in adjuvant therapy for cancer patients. Based on these findings, the therapeutic potential of NTP for MM treatment should be investigated with in-depth mechanistic studies and in vivo experiments.

Antidepressant medication use and nasopharyngeal cancer risk: a nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND

The association between antidepressant exposure and nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) has not been previously explored. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between antidepressant prescription, including novel antidepressants, and the risk of NPC in a population-based study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data for the analysis were derived from National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 16,957 cases with a diagnosis of NPC and 83,231 matched controls by using a nested case-control design. A conditional logistic regression model was used, with adjustments for potentially confounding variables (eg, comorbid physical diseases, comorbid psychiatric diseases, and other medications).

RESULTS

We report no association between NPC incidence and antidepressant prescription. For all classes of antidepressants, antidepressant exposure, regardless of cumulative dose, had no significant effect on NPC incidence (adjusted odds ratio of cumulative selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure ≥336 defined daily dose was 1.18 [95% CI: 0.90-1.53]; tricyclic antidepressant exposure ≥336 defined daily dose was 1.18 [95% CI: 0.80-1.74]).

CONCLUSION

There was no association between antidepressant prescription and incident NPC.

Antidepressants in association with reducing risk of oral cancer occurrence: a nationwide population-based cohort and nested case-control studies

Objectives

Several studies suggested that antidepressant use may increase or decrease the risk of cancer occurrence, depending on specific cancer types. The possible carcinogenic effect of antidepressants has received substantial attention; however, evidence remains inconclusive. Here we investigated associations between the use of antidepressants and occurrences of oral cancer (OC).

Methods

Two million samples were randomly collected from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan, which covers 98% of the total population (23 million). All patients from2000 to 2009 were followed up. We identified 5103 patients newly diagnosed with OC after antidepressants use in addition to 20,412 non-OC matched subjects and 95,452 unmatched non-OC subjects.

Results

In nested case control analysis, factors associating with OC, including age [OR = 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01–1.03) and male (OR = 5.30; 95% CI = 4.92–5.70) were independently associated with increased risk of OC. Based on the functions of antidepressants, antidepressants treatment medications were further classified to investigate risk of OC. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (OR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.53–0.70) and tricyclic antidepressants (OR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.52–0.63) were associated with reduced risk of OC. The risk of developing OC among subjects taking antidepressants was less than 26% [hazard ratio (HR) =0.74; 95% CI = 0.68–0.81] in prospective cohort study. The effect of a cumulative duration and dose was a significantly reduced risk of OC.

Conclusions

The association between antidepressant use and decreasing OC risk were demonstrated by both prospective and nested case–control studies.

Antidepressants: influence on cancer and immunity?

Two decades ago, it was hypothesized that antidepressants could alter the course of neoplastic diseases. However, contradictory findings indicated that antidepressants could either have carcinogenic properties or improve the disease outcome. Intriguingly, controversial results were reported on the action of antidepressant drugs on immune function. Further hypotheses proposed that antidepressants could indirectly affect the cancer prognosis through the modulation of antitumor activity. Here we review the literature in order to elucidate the influence of antidepressants on cancer and immunity.

The effect of tricyclic antidepressants on cutaneous melanoma cell lines and primary cell cultures

The tricyclic antidepressants have previously been shown to exert activity against glioma cells in vitro. Initial studies in cell lines suggested that this might extend to melanoma cells. We have therefore conducted a study in primary cell cultures from metastatic cutaneous melanoma deposits using a well established ATP-based tumour chemosensitivity assay to confirm and extend these findings. Two cell lines and eight primary cell cultures from metastatic melanoma deposits were exposed to three tricyclic drugs, amitriptyline, nortriptyline and clomipramine, at concentrations ranging from 200 to 6.25 µmol/l in the ATP-based tumour chemosensitivity assay. All three drugs showed activity, although nortriptyline was more active than clomipramine or amitriptyline in both cell lines and primary cell cultures, with an IC50 of 9, 27 and 33 µmol/l, respectively. Tricyclic agents show activity against melanoma in vitro. This could be related to the lysosomal effects based on their cationic amphiphilic properties, or effects at the mitochondrial membrane.

Oral administration of fluoxetine alters the proliferation/apoptosis balance of lymphoma cells and up-regulates T cell immunity in tumor-bearing mice

Antidepressants have a controversial role with regard to their influence on cancer and immunity. Recently, we showed that fluoxetine administration induces an enhancement of the T-cell mediated immunity in naïve mice, resulting in the inhibition of tumor growth. Here we studied the effects of fluoxetine on lymphoma proliferation/apoptosis and immunity in tumor bearing-mice. We found an increase of apoptotic cells (active Caspase-3(+)) and a decrease of proliferative cells (PCNA(+)) in tumors growing in fluoxetine-treated animals. In addition, differential gene expressions of cell cycle and death markers were observed. Cyclins D3, E and B were reduced in tumors from animals treated with fluoxetine, whereas the tumor suppressor p53 and the cell cycle inhibitors p15/INK4B, p16/INK4A and p27/Kip1 were increased. Besides, the expression of the antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2 and the proapoptotic factor Bad were lower and higher respectively in these animals. These changes were accompanied by increased IFN-γ and TNF-α levels as well as augmented circulating CD8(+) T lymphocytes in tumor-bearing mice treated with the antidepressant. Therefore, we propose that the up-regulation of T-cell mediated antitumor immunity may be contributing to the alterations of tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis thus resulting in the inhibition of tumor progression.

Desipramine induces apoptosis in rat glioma cells via endoplasmic reticulum stress-dependent CHOP pathway

Various antidepressants, mainly tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have exhibited potent anticancer properties in different cancer cell types. In the present study, desipramine (DMI), a representative of TCAs, was examined with respect to its apoptosis-inducing activity in rat C6 glioma cells and the underlying mechanism of action. DMI induced typical apoptotic morphology of chromatin condensation in rat glioma C6 cells and activated intracellular caspase 9 and caspase 3 with no change in mitochondrial membrane potential. Simultaneously, DMI significantly elevated expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress regulator CHOP/GADD153 and its targeting molecule GADD34. However, knockdown of CHOP by CHOP-specific short interfering RNA (siRNA) could decrease the activity of intracellular caspase 3 and the cytotoxicity of DMI to C6 cells. These results revealed that the CHOP-dependent endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway is responsible for DMI-induced apoptosis in C6 cells.