Table 3.
Novel compounds that target connexins to inhibit metastasis
| Name | Cancer Type | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metastasis inhibitor-18 (MI-18) | Melanoma | Inhibited Cx26-mediated GJIC and metastasis. | [107] |
| Distilled fraction of camellia oil | Melanoma | Inhibited Cx26-mediated GJIC and metastasis. | [108] |
| MAbE2Cx43 | Glioma | A monoclonal antibody targeting the second extracellular loop of Cx43. Decreased tumor burden and increase survival. | [53] |
| GJ vesicle | Breast | Connexin-rich membrane vesicle derived from Cx43-overexpressing HeLa or MDA-MB-231 cells. Decreased cell migration. | [109] |
| αCT-1 | Breast | A 25 amino acid peptide drug that mimics a cytoplasmic region of Cx43. Enhanced Cx43-GJIC, leading to improved efficacy of tamoxifen and lapatinib. | [112, 113, 115] |
| TAT-Cx43266-283 | Glioma | A cell-penetrating peptide based on Cx43 (amino acids 266–283). Inhibited cell migration and invasion. | [118] |
| PQ1 | Breast | Increased Cx43 and decreased Cx46 expression. | [121] |
| 4-OH-tamoxifen | Breast | Decreased Cx43 expression and migration. | [122] |
| Fulvestrant | Breast | Decreased Cx43 expression and migration. | [122] |
| Ginsenoside | PTC | Increased Cx31 expression, leading to decreased cell proliferation. | [81] |
GJIC Gap junctional intercellular communication, PTC Papillary thyroid cancer