. 2023 Apr 4:1–44. Online ahead of print. doi: 10.1007/s11010-023-04715-1

Table 1.

Details of some common cytotoxic agents used in target therapy for the treatment of meningioma

Drug name	Drug composition/molecular formula administration	Mechanism of action	Type of study	References
Cytotoxic agents
Temozolomide (today)	Imidazotetrazine, orally administered	Alkylated agent	Temozolomide for treatment-resistant recurrent meningioma; phase II trial: no clinical efficacy shown	[45]
Irinotecan (Camptosar)	C₃₃H₃₈N₄O₆ plant alkaloid, intravenously administered	Topoisomerase 1 inhibitor	Irinotecan has growth-inhibitory effects in meningiomas both in vitro and in vivo; phase II trial: no clinical efficacy shown	[46]
Hydroxyurea	CH₄N₂O₂, orally administered	Ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor	Hydroxyurea for treatment of unresectable and recurrent meningiomas; phase I trials: inhibition of primary human meningioma cells in culture and meningioma transplants by induction of the apoptotic pathway; phase II trial: mixed results	[47]
Trabectedin (Yondalis)	C₃₉H₄₃N₃O_11S, intravenous infusion	Mechanism unclear; believed to make conformational changes in DNA strands, causing inhibition of transcription factor binding	Trabectedin has promising antineoplastic activity in high-grade meningioma	[48]
Cyclophosphamide	C₇H₁₅Cl₂N₂O₂P, orally administered	Synthetic nitrogen mustard alkylating agent	Medical management of meningioma in the era of precision medicine	[49]
Bacteria-derived agents
Doxorubicin	C₂₇H₂₉NO₁₁, anthracycline antibiotic, intravenous	Topoisomerase 2 inhibitor	Recurrent meningioma of the cervical spine, successfully treated with liposomal doxorubicin	[50]
Plant-derived agents
Curcumin	C₂₁H₂₀O₆, orally administered	Interaction with multiple cell signaling proteins	Curcumin has antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity in human meningiomas; preclinical trial: cell culture/in vitro	[51]
AKBA	Pentacyclic triterpene	Induction of apoptosis; anti-inflammatory	Cytotoxic action of acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) on meningioma cells; preclinical trial: cell culture/in vitro	[52]
Vincristine	C₄₆H₅₆N₄O₁₀, intravenously administered at weekly intervals	Binds to tubulin, thus stopping the polymerization of tubulin dimers; microtubules make cells unable to replicate during metaphase, inducing apoptosis	Adjuvant combined modality therapy for malignant meningiomas	[53]