Lithium has been an FDA-approved and preferred drug for the treatment of mood disorders for many years, and cumulative evidence has pointed to its potential use as an anticancer agent. Lithium could alter the biochemical properties of a variety of transcription factors and thus exert important physiological or pathophysiological functions in cancer development. There are diverse factors that contribute to colorectal cancer progression and chemoresistance. The transcription factor NF-κB has been shown to be crucial for tumor progression and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer by increasing expression of some target genes such as antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein and survivin. And previous studies suggest a positive role for GSK-3β in the regulation of NF-κB activity. It has been demonstrated that lithium is a specific and noncompetitive inhibitor of GSK-3β in vitro and in vivo, and consequently it may be an inhibitor of the NF-κB pathway.

Article Lithium Chloride Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Cell Survival ...