Sebastian Musiał, Szymon Małek, Artur Beberok

Repositioning of tetracyclines in the perspective of using non-antibiotic properties in cancer treatment

2025-09-12

Subject of Study. The article focuses on a group of tetracycline antibiotics and their potential repositioning for cancer treatment. Using therapeutic substances that have already been studied and used for other purposes is not a new phenomenon. However, in recent years, drug repositioning has increasingly been seen as a faster, cheaper way to bring new therapies to market. Researchers have recently become interested in reports on the extra-antibiotic properties of tetracyclines. These drugs are well known and widely used due to their broad spectrum of bacteriostatic activity. Research on the inhibition of tumor cell growth and migration, as well as the induction of apoptosis, provides the basis for repositioning these drugs for cancer treatment, which is currently one of the greatest challenges in modern medicine.

Aim of Study. This study aims to analyze scientific articles on the anticancer properties of tetracycline antibiotics to characterize the potential of this group of drugs for treating cancer.

Material and Methods. Scientific papers were obtained from the databases of PubMed and Google Scholar using the following keywords: “repositioning”, “redirecting”, “tetracyclines”, “doxycycline”, “minocycline”, “tigecycline”, “anticancer”, “antitumor”, “proapoptotic” and “cytotoxic”. The articles considered could not be older than 10 years; however, older literature was included to supplement the topic.

Results. The analysis of scientific publications revealed a significant anticancer potential of tested tetracyclines when examined in vitro on cell lines of various cancers, as well as in vivo on mouse models. These properties include proapoptotic, cytotoxic, phototoxic, and inhibitory effects on oxidative imbalance, cell proliferation, self‑renewal, and migration.

Conclusions. Additional properties of tetracyclines, beyond their antibiotic effects, offer the possibility of repositioning them for use in cancer treatment. Analysis of scientific studies confirms the effectiveness of these antibiotics on cellular
and mouse models. These results provide a foundation for further research evaluating the efficacy and safety of these therapies in clinical trials.

Keywords: tetracyclines, repositioning, antitumor, doxycycline, tigecycline.

© Farm Pol, 2025, 81(1): 53–64