pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ivermectin: A Multifaceted Drug With a Potential Beyond Anti-parasitic Therapy - PubMed

  • ️Mon Jan 01 2024

Review

. 2024 Mar 12;16(3):e56025.

doi: 10.7759/cureus.56025. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Affiliations

Review

Ivermectin: A Multifaceted Drug With a Potential Beyond Anti-parasitic Therapy

Baneet Kaur et al. Cureus. 2024.

Abstract

Ivermectin was first discovered in the 1970s by Japanese microbiologist Satoshi Omura and Irish parasitologist William C. Campbell. Ivermectin has become a versatile pharmaceutical over the past 50 years. Ivermectin is a derivative of avermectin originally used to treat parasitic infections. Emerging literature has suggested that its role goes beyond this and may help treat inflammatory conditions, viral infections, and cancers. Ivermectin's anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anticancer effects were explored. Its traditional mechanism of action in parasitic diseases, such as scabies and malaria, rests on its ability to interfere with the glutamate-gated chloride channels in invertebrates and the lack of P-glycoprotein in many parasites. More recently, it has been discovered that the ability of ivermectin to block the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of the activated B (NF-κB) pathway that modulates the expression and production of proinflammatory cytokines is implicated in its role as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat rosacea. Ivermectin has also been evaluated for treating infections caused by viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 and adenoviruses, through inhibition of viral protein transportation and acting on the importin α/β1 interface. It has also been suggested that ivermectin can inhibit the proliferation of tumorigenic cells through various pathways that lead to the management of certain cancers. The review aimed to evaluate its multifaceted effects and potential clinical applications beyond its traditional use as an anthelmintic agent.

Keywords: anti-cancer; anti-inflammatory; anti-parasitic; anti-viral; ivermectin; malaria; nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated b cells (nf-κb).

Copyright © 2024, Kaur et al.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ivermectin, "wonder drug" from Japan: the human use perspective. Crump A, Ōmura S. Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2011;87:13–28. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Broadening the range of use cases for ivermectin - a review of the evidence. Kositz C, Bradley J, Hutchins H, Last A, D'Alessandro U, Marks M. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2022;116:201–212. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adverse reactions after large-scale treatment of onchocerciasis with ivermectin: combined results from eight community trials. De Sole G, Remme J, Awadzi K, et al. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2633886/ Bull World Health Organ. 1989;67:707–719. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Controlled trial and dose-finding study of ivermectin for treatment of onchocerciasis. White AT, Newland HS, Taylor HR, et al. J Infect Dis. 1987;156:463–470. - PubMed
    1. Double-blind study of ivermectin and diethylcarbamazine in African onchocerciasis patients with ocular involvement. Lariviere M, Vingtain P, Aziz M, et al. Lancet. 1985;2:174–177. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources