ArticleNature communications2016
The anti-malarial atovaquone increases radiosensitivity by alleviating tumour hypoxia.
Article in Nature communications, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 141 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
141 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 248 citations in OpenAlex.
- Potentiating the effects of radiotherapy in rectal cancer: the role of aspirin, statins and metformin as adjuncts to therapy.British journal of cancer · 2017Pooled it
- Tumour hypoxia in clinical oncology: imaging, therapeutic strategies, and translational challenges.Clinical and translational radiation oncology · 2027Review
- Redox and structural determinants of mitochondrial complex III inhibition by triphenylphosphonium-conjugated atovaquone analogs.Redox biology · 2026Article
- Copper homeostasis and cuproptosis: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.Molecular biomedicine · 2026Review
- Structure-guided optimisation of fenofibrate-derived oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors to modify tumour hypoxia.RSC medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
- Atovaquone Targets Mitochondrial Metabolism and Enhances Radiosensitivity of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.Cancers · 2026Article
- Investigating hypoxia-inducible factor signaling in cancer: Mechanisms, clinical implications, targeted therapeutic strategies, and resistance.Cancer pathogenesis and therapy · 2026Review
- Metabolic Radiosensitization by Targeting Lactate Metabolism with Microfluidic Liposomal Nanocarriers.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2026Article
- Emerging Nanoplatforms are Effective Against Tumor Hypoxia.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming at the interface of chemoresistance and immune-cold tumor states.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Development of Selective and Soluble Mitochondrial Complex 1 Inhibitors Derived from Papaverine for Radiosensitization of Cancer.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2025Article
- Metabolic reprogramming in diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG): dual inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and lactate metabolism to enhance anti-tumor and radiosensitizing effects in DIPG cells.Cancer & metabolism · 2025Article
- Latest Nanoparticles to Modulate Hypoxic Microenvironment in Photodynamic Therapy of Cervical Cancer: A Review of In Vivo Studies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Recent Advances in Nanoparticle and Nanocomposite-Based Photodynamic Therapy for Cervical Cancer: A Review.Cancers · 2025Review
- UPR-induced intracellular C5aR1 promotes adaptation to the hypoxic tumour microenvironment.Cell death & disease · 2025Article
- Development and validation of cost-effective multi-sample hypoxia chambers for proton ultra-high dose rate organoid irradiations.Clinical and translational radiation oncology · 2025Article
- A micro-metabolic rewiring assay for assessing hypoxia-associated cancer metabolic heterogeneity.Bioactive materials · 2025Article
- Image-guided targeting of mitochondrial metabolism sensitizes pediatric malignant rhabdoid tumors to low-dose radiotherapy.Science advances · 2025Article
- Mannose and PMI depletion overcomes radiation resistance in HPV-negative head and neck cancer.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Article
- Atovaquone-induced activation of the PERK/eIF2α signaling axis mitigates metabolic radiosensitisation.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Article
81 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Tumour hypoxia renders cancer cells resistant to cancer therapy, resulting in markedly worse clinical outcomes. To find clinical candidate compounds that reduce hypoxia in tumours, we conduct a high-throughput screen for oxygen consumption rate (OCR) reduction and identify a number of drugs with this property. For this study we focus on the anti-malarial, atovaquone. Atovaquone rapidly decreases the OCR by more than 80% in a wide range of cancer cell lines at pharmacological concentrations. In addition, atovaquone eradicates hypoxia in FaDu, HCT116 and H1299 spheroids. Similarly, it reduces hypoxia in FaDu and HCT116 xenografts in nude mice, and causes a significant tumour growth delay when combined with radiation. Atovaquone is a ubiquinone analogue, and decreases the OCR by inhibiting mitochondrial complex III. We are now undertaking clinical studies to assess whether atovaquone reduces tumour hypoxia in patients, thereby increasing the efficacy of radiotherapy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.