Fenretinide in Cancer and Neurological Disease: A Two-Face Janus Molecule |
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| Authors: | Rosa Luisa Potenza Pietro Lodeserto Isabella Orienti |
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| Affiliation: | 1.National Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;2.Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (P.L.); (I.O.) |
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| Abstract: | Recently, several chemotherapeutic drugs have been repositioned in neurological diseases, based on common biological backgrounds and the inverse comorbidity between cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Fenretinide (all-trans-N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide, 4-HPR) is a synthetic derivative of all-trans-retinoic acid initially proposed in anticancer therapy for its antitumor effects combined with limited toxicity. Subsequently, fenretinide has been proposed for other diseases, for which it was not intentionally designed for, due to its ability to influence different biological pathways, providing a broad spectrum of pharmacological effects. Here, we review the most relevant preclinical and clinical findings from fenretinide and discuss its therapeutic role towards cancer and neurological diseases, highlighting the hormetic behavior of this pleiotropic molecule. |
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| Keywords: | fenretinide anticancer drugs nanomicellar formulations repositioning neuroinflammation oxidative stress neuroprotection hormesis |
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