Cancer

Patient sample and mouse studies suggest aldose reductase inhibitors could help treat metastatic basal-like breast cancer. In metastatic breast cancer patients, levels of aldose reductase were higher in primary tumors from patients with basal-like breast cancer than with luminal breast cancer, and across all of the patients, high aldose reductase levels correlated with poor survival. In two human metastatic basal-like breast cancer cell lines, aldose reductase knockdown or the generic aldose reductase inhibitor epalrestat decreased tumorsphere and colony formation compared with normal aldose reductase expression or vehicle. In an orthotopic xenograft mouse model of metastatic basal-like breast cancer, aldose reductase knockdown or epalrestat decreased primary tumor growth. In a xenograft mouse model of metastatic basal-like breast cancer, aldose reductase knockdown or epalrestat decreased metastasis to the lung. Next steps could include testing other aldose reductase inhibitors in models of metastatic basal-like breast cancer.

Epalrestat is marketed in India, Bangladesh and China for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). ...