Repurposing strategies and benefits in light of itraconazole interrelated therapeutic activities and challenges

Yassa, Marian N.; Mansour, Mai; ElKhateeb, Dalia G.; Awad, Gehanne A. S.

doi:10.21608/aps.2024.332916.1207

Repurposing strategies and benefits in light of itraconazole interrelated therapeutic activities and challenges

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

¹ Central Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Egyptian Drug Authority, Cairo, Egypt

² Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt

³ Central Administration of Drug Control, Egyptian Drug Authority, Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/aps.2024.332916.1207

Abstract

The accidental discovery of new indications for drugs outside their application span has encouraged many researchers to investigate the interrelation between various drugs, diseases, and specific targets. Systematic repositioning or repurposing using multiple data sources and methods of analysis has been addressed in various studies. Meanwhile, anticancer drugs generally exhibited relatively high toxicity and severe side effects in both affected and normal cells. Drug repurposing has helped to discover safer drug molecules with fewer side effects. Cancer and fungal pathogenesis were found to have overlapped modes of action opening the gate for using antifungals as adjuncts in cancer therapy for less toxicity and better tumor growth control. Preclinical and clinical data have proposed the use of itraconazole as a promising anticancer, However, itraconazole, as a weak basic compound with low solubility, poor absorption, and limited bioavailability, faces several formulation challenges. This review focuses on Itraconazole, with its dual antifungal anti-cancer activity, and the challenges facing its formulation.

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