Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42883895›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2026

Unveiling Novel Molecular Candidate Targets of Loratadine, Raloxifene, and Sorafenib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Fernanda Villarruel-Melquiades, Martha Noyola-Díaz, Gelacio Martínez-Gudiño, María Eugenia Mendoza-Garrido, José Rubén García-Sánchez, Cecilia Bañuelos, Julio Isael Pérez-Carreón, Javier Camacho

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Fernanda Villarruel-MelquiadesDepartamento de Farmacología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0001-8156-0090
Martha Noyola-DíazDepartamento de Farmacología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico.
Gelacio Martínez-GudiñoDepartamento de Farmacología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico.
María Eugenia Mendoza-GarridoDepartamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico.
José Rubén García-SánchezSección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón, Ciudad de México 11340, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0003-4381-8243
Cecilia BañuelosDepartamento de Investigación y Estudios Multidisciplinarios, Programa Transdisciplinario en Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico para la Sociedad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-8168-4488
Julio Isael Pérez-CarreónInstituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), Periférico Sur No. 4809, Col. Arenal Tepepan, Ciudad de México 14610, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0001-9284-7775
Javier CamachoDepartamento de Farmacología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-8886-086X

Funding

Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación CF-2023-I-812
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major global health burden. We have recently demonstrated the synergistic cytotoxicity elicited by the combination of loratadine, raloxifene, and sorafenib in liver cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the potential mechanistic basis of this novel multi-drug regimen by identifying candidate protein targets of the three drugs. Potential protein targets of each drug were identified using the Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS) assay in protein extracts from the HCC cell line HuH7, and molecular docking was performed to predict binding modes and explore the structural feasibility of these drug-target interactions. Bioinformatics analyses were conducted to predict biological functions, molecular interactions, and clinical relevance. We identified 147 potential candidate DARTS-stabilized proteins for loratadine, 191 for sorafenib, and 157 for raloxifene; a proportion of these candidate proteins maintained a statistically significant association with overall survival in HCC patients: 20.14% for loratadine, 22.93% for raloxifene, and 24.47% for sorafenib. Cross-referencing with public databases confirmed several previously documented targets-complementing our experimental approach-while revealing numerous previously unreported target candidates. Docking analyses predicted favorable binding interactions between the drugs and several proteins, such as the putative complex between loratadine and N-glycanase 1 (NGLY1), whose expression correlates with reduced overall survival in HCC patients. Functional enrichment analysis showed that several targets are involved in hallmarks of cancer. Clinically relevant candidate targets of loratadine, raloxifene, and sorafenib were identified. However, as these candidate protein targets were identified exclusively in HuH7 cells, they may not fully generalize across all HCC models without further validation. Nevertheless, our results suggest that loratadine, raloxifene and sorafenib modulate key pathways involved in tumorigenesis. These findings strengthen the use of this combination as a promising therapeutic strategy for HCC and provide new opportunities for the identification of novel targets, prognostic markers, and molecular vulnerabilities suitable for pharmacological intervention in HCC and other malignancies and diseases.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsCarcinoma, HepatocellularLiver NeoplasmsLoratadineRaloxifene HydrochlorideSorafenibCell Line, TumorHumansMolecular Docking SimulationAntineoplastic AgentsLoratadineRaloxifene HydrochlorideSorafenibDARTS assaydrug repurposingdrug targetshepatocellular carcinomaloratadineraloxifenesorafenib

Identifiers

PMID42883895
PMCPMC13664959

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.