News Releases & Research Results Effect of Ibudilast for reducing muscular atrophy as an anticancer adverse reaction, with an expectation for indication expansion of approved drugs

Results of joint research led by Motohiro Nishida, Professor of National Institute for Physiological Sciences/Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (concurrently, Professor of Kyushu University) and Kazuhiro Nishiyama, Research Assistant Professor of Kyushu University, University of Shizuoka, Osaka Prefecture University, and University of Tokyo.

• Ibudilast, a drug approved for indication of asthma, has been identified as a compound that inhibits formation of TRPC3-Nox2 complex resulting in atrophy of cardiac and skelatel muscle myocytes
• Ibudilast was demonstrated to relieve anticancer adverse reactions (myocardial and skeletal muscle debilitation) in animal cells and mice.
• In addition, it was suggested that Ibudilast may alleviate cytotoxicity associated with secondhand smoke.

This research was supported by AMED’s Platform Project for Supporting in Drug Discovery and Life Science Research.

The result of research result was published on 30 August in the British Journal of Pharmacology, an official journal of the British Pharmacological Society.

Nishiyama K., et al. Ibudilast attenuates doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity by suppressing formation of TRPC3-Nox2 protein complex, British Journal of Pharmacology, 2019
DOI：10.1111/bph.14777