ArticleCancers2020
Antiparkinson Drug Benztropine Suppresses Tumor Growth, Circulating Tumor Cells, and Metastasis by Acting on SLC6A3/DAT and Reducing STAT3.
Article in Cancers, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Repurposing neurological drugs for brain cancer therapeutics: A systematic approach to identify charged molecules for affinity-based local drug delivery systems.International journal of pharmaceutics · 2025Pooled it
- Review
- MMP-3 cleavage of Lamin A induces pro-migratory nuclear deformity, nucleophagy, and their autophagic secretion with extracellular vesicles in metastatic cancer.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Article
- The Parkinson's drug benztropine possesses histamine receptor 1-dependent host-directed antimicrobial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.npj antimicrobials and resistance · 2025Article
- The Possibility of Plasma Membrane Transporters as Drug Targets in Oral Cancers.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Network based approach for drug target identification in early onset Parkinson's disease.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Targeting Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Enhances the Efficacy of Radiotherapy in Glioma.Cancer research · 2024Article
- MSLN induced EMT, cancer stem cell traits and chemotherapy resistance of pancreatic cancer cells.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Review
- Metixene is an incomplete autophagy inducer in preclinical models of metastatic cancer and brain metastases.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2023Article
- Identification and Characterization of Metabolic Subtypes of Endometrial Cancer Using a Systems-Level Approach.Metabolites · 2023Article
- Repurposing Benztropine, Natamycin, and Nitazoxanide Using Drug Combination and Characterization of Gastric Cancer Cell Lines.Biomedicines · 2023Article
- Systems Drug Discovery for Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Based on Pathogenic Molecular Mechanism via Big Data Mining and Deep Learning Method.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Repurposing non-oncology small-molecule drugs to improve cancer therapy: Current situation and future directions.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2022Review
- Liquid biopsy approaches and immunotherapy in colorectal cancer for precision medicine: Are we there yet?Frontiers in oncology · 2022Review
- G6PD upregulates Cyclin E1 and MMP9 to promote clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression.International journal of medical sciences · 2022Article
- Synergistic Growth Inhibition of HT-29 Colon and MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells with Simultaneous and Sequential Combinations of Antineoplastics and CNS Drugs.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- Article
- Article
- Organoids and Liquid Biopsy in Oral Cancer Research.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Tumor growth, progression, and therapy resistance are crucial factors in the prognosis of cancer. The properties of three-dimensional (3D) tumor-like organoids (tumoroids) more closely resemble in vivo tumors compared to two-dimensionally cultured cells and are therefore effectively used for assays and drug screening. We here established a repurposed drug for novel anticancer research and therapeutics using a 3D tumoroid-based screening system. We screened six pharmacologically active compounds by using an original tumoroid-based multiplex phenotypic screening system with a matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) promoter-driven fluorescence reporter for the evaluation of both tumoroid formation and progression. The antiparkinson drug benztropine was the most effective compound uncovered by the screen. Benztropine significantly inhibited in vitro tumoroid formation, cancer cell survival, and MMP9 promoter activity. Benztropine also reduced the activity of oncogenic signaling transducers and trans-activators for MMP9, including STAT3, NF-κB, and β-catenin, and the properties of cancer stem cells/cancer-initiating cells. Benztropine and GBR-12935 directly targeted the dopamine transporter DAT/SLC6A3, whose genetic alterations such as amplification were correlated with poor prognosis for cancer patients. Benztropine also inhibited the tumor growth, circulating tumor cell (CTC) number, and rate of metastasis in a tumor allograft model in mice. In conclusion, we propose the repurposing of benztropine for anticancer research and therapeutics that can suppress tumor progression, CTC, and metastasis of aggressive cancers by reducing key pro-tumorigenic factors.
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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.