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The sodium channel-blocking antiepileptic drug phenytoin inhibits breast tumour growth and metastasis

Overview of attention for article published in Molecular Cancer, January 2015
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About this Attention Score

  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • One of the highest-scoring outputs from this source (#10 of 1,719)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (98th percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (97th percentile)

Mentioned by

news
11 news outlets
blogs
1 blog
twitter
6 X users
facebook
2 Facebook pages

Citations

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117 Dimensions

Readers on

mendeley
124 Mendeley
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Title
The sodium channel-blocking antiepileptic drug phenytoin inhibits breast tumour growth and metastasis
Published in
Molecular Cancer, January 2015
DOI 10.1186/s12943-014-0277-x
Pubmed ID
Authors

Michaela Nelson, Ming Yang, Adam A Dowle, Jerry R Thomas, William J Brackenbury

Abstract

BackgroundVoltage-gated Na+ channels (VGSCs) are heteromeric protein complexes containing pore-forming ¿ subunits and smaller, non-pore-forming ß subunits. VGSCs are classically expressed in electrically excitable cells, e.g. neurons. VGSCs are also expressed in tumour cells, including breast cancer (BCa) cells, where they enhance cellular migration and invasion. However, despite extensive work defining in detail the molecular mechanisms underlying the expression of VGSCs and their pro-invasive role in cancer cells, there has been a notable lack of clinically relevant in vivo data exploring their value as potential therapeutic targets.FindingsWe have previously reported that the VGSC-blocking antiepileptic drug phenytoin inhibits the migration and invasion of metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro. The purpose of the present study was to establish whether VGSCs might be viable therapeutic targets by testing the effect of phenytoin on tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. We found that expression of Nav1.5, previously detected in MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro, was retained on cells in orthotopic xenografts. Treatment with phenytoin, at a dose equivalent to that used to treat epilepsy (60 mg/kg; daily), significantly reduced tumour growth, without affecting animal weight. Phenytoin also reduced cancer cell proliferation in vivo and invasion into surrounding mammary tissue. Finally, phenytoin significantly reduced metastasis to the liver, lungs and spleen.ConclusionsThis is the first study showing that phenytoin reduces breast tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. We propose that pharmacologically targeting VGSCs, by repurposing antiepileptic or antiarrhythmic drugs, should be further studied as a potentially novel anti-cancer therapy.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 6 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 124 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United States 1 <1%
Unknown 123 99%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Bachelor 30 24%
Researcher 20 16%
Student > Master 16 13%
Student > Ph. D. Student 14 11%
Other 7 6%
Other 19 15%
Unknown 18 15%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 25 20%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 25 20%
Medicine and Dentistry 19 15%
Chemistry 12 10%
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 7 6%
Other 13 10%
Unknown 23 19%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 94. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 02 March 2016.
All research outputs
#375,978
of 22,780,165 outputs
Outputs from Molecular Cancer
#10
of 1,719 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#5,280
of 352,883 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Molecular Cancer
#1
of 48 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,780,165 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 98th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,719 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.7. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 352,883 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 48 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its contemporaries.