Salinomycin—a potential novel anticancer agent

Salinomycin has been used as a veterinary antibiotic to prevent coccidiosis in poultry and to improve nutrient absorption in ruminants for more than 30 years.In 2009 researchers firstly found that salinomycin would selectively kill breast cancer stem cells,further studies revealed that salinomycin inhibited the growth of variety of cancer stem cells including colorectal,lung and pancreatic cancer stem cells.The agent can overcome the resistance of cancer cell apoptosis caused by P53 gene mutation,the over-expression of Bcl-2 protein,26S proteasome and P-glycoprotein;the agent can increase DNA damage,activate oxidative stress,inhibit Wnt signaling pathway and enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to drug therapy.Salinomycin may be used as a novel chemotherapy drug in the future.