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DIGOXIN EXHIBITS ANTICANCER ACTIVITY IN A375 AND RPMI-7951 CUTANEOUS MELANOMA CELLS: A DRUG REPURPOSING APPROACH

RICHARD DAHMA 1#, MARILENA MOTOC 1#, ȘTEFANIA-IRINA DUMITREL 2,3, DIANA HAJ-ALI 2,3, DIANA-MARIA MORARIU-BRICIU 4*, DIANA BONȚE 1

1 Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
2 Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2nd Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
3 Research Centre for Pharmacotoxicologic Evaluations (FARMTOX), “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, 2nd Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timișoara, Romania
4 Department of Anatomy and Embryology, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara 300041, Romania

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Current options for malignant melanoma, such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, often have limited efficacy and significant adverse effects. Recently, drug repurposing has emerged as a promising strategy for identifying new therapeutic agents. The study examines the antitumor potential of digoxin, a cardiac glycoside, on A375 and RPMI-7951 cells. The cells were treated with digoxin (10 - 50 nM) for 24 hours, and cytotoxicity was initially evaluated by MTT assay and morphological analysis. The results suggested a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability, with RPMI-7951 cells showing greater sensitivity (up to 34.3%). Next, the mitochondrial and nuclear alterations were examined using MitoTracker™ Red CMXRos and Hoechst 33342 staining, while apoptotic morphological modifications were assessed by acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) double staining. These encouraging findings may provide a basis for future research in this field and offer promising prospects for use in anti-melanoma therapy