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Tioconazole, an FDA-approved antifungal drug, was identified as an ATG4 inhibitor through a drug repurposing screen integrating computational docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and biochemical/cellular assays. Tioconazole inhibited ATG4A and ATG4B with IC50 values of 1.3 μM and 1.8 μM, respectively, by occupying the active site of ATG4 in its open form. It reduced autophagic flux in cancer cells, as evidenced by accumulation of LC3-II and autophagosomes, and impaired autophagosome-lysosome fusion.
Tioconazole sensitized cancer cells to starvation and chemotherapeutic agents (doxorubicin, camptothecin) in colorectal cancer HCT116, glioblastoma H4, and breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, increasing apoptosis and reducing cell viability. In HCT116 xenograft mouse models, tioconazole (60 mg/kg) combined with doxorubicin reduced tumor volume and weight, increased LC3 puncta and cleaved caspase-3 in tumor tissues. Tioconazole represents a potential anticancer agent or chemosensitizer through ATG4 inhibition and autophagy suppression.
Fig. 1 Docking and MD Simulations for Tioconazole Binding to ATG4. (Liu P F.; et al. 2018)
References
Tioconazole-loaded transferosomes (TTFs) were formulated using a thin lipid film hydration method and optimized via a factorial design. The optimized batch (B4) contained 50 mg Phospholipon®90H and 45 mg sodium deoxycholate, achieving vesicle size 171.4 nm, PDI 0.36, entrapment efficiency 93.89%, and zeta potential -20.73 mV. TTFs were incorporated into Carbopol 934/sodium CMC hydrogel. The F2 batch (1.5% sodium CMC) showed 94.23% drug release over 24 hours with flux 47.23 μg/cm²/h, following Higuchi kinetics with non-Fickian diffusion. In a DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis rat model, low-dose TTFsH (12.5 mg tioconazole) significantly reduced erythema and scratching scores compared to marketed Candiderm cream. Histopathology confirmed recovered dermis and epidermis with reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. TTFsH enhanced skin penetration through the deformable nature of transferosomes, generating osmotic gradients that disrupt stratum corneum lipids. Low-dose TTFsH demonstrated superior efficacy to high dose, offering a promising topical treatment for atopic dermatitis.
Fig. 1 Docking and MD Simulations for Tioconazole Binding to ATG4. (Kharwade R.; et al. 2023)
References
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