Osteosarcoma is the most frequent malignant bone malignancy and the current treatments are ineffective. Ivermectin, an anti-protozoal drug, has been shown to have anti-cancer activity. This work investigated the potential of repurposing ivermectin to augment chemotherapy’s efficacy in osteosarcoma.

Methods

Proliferation, migration and apoptosis assays were performed in ivermectin-treated osteosarcoma cells. Combination studies were performed. Osteosarcoma xenograft mouse model was established to investigate the in vivo efficacy of ivermectin. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide, membrane potential, ATP, 8-OHdG level, protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation were determined after ivermectin treatment.

Results

Ivermectin was effective and acted synergistically with doxorubicin in osteosarcoma cells regardless of cellular origin and genetic profiling. This was achieved through suppressing inhibiting growth and migration, and inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis. Ivermectin also significantly inhibited osteosarcoma growth in vivo and its combination with doxorubicin resulted in much greater efficacy than doxorubicin alone. Importantly, the effective dose of ivermectin was clinically feasible and did not cause significant toxicity in mice. Mechanistical analysis showed that ivermectin induced oxidative stress and damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that ivermectin has utility in treating patients with osteosarcoma, especially those resistant to chemotherapy.

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APNEWS

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By  ANGELO FICHERA
Published 6:17 PM EDT, February 16, 2023

CLAIM: Searches on the National Institutes of Health website show that ivermectin is a cure for cancer but it is being suppressed.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The website shows that some studies have explored the use of ivermectin in relation to cancer. There are no studies demonstrating the drug cures cancer in humans, experts say, but some are researching the use of ivermectin in combination with other therapies to treat breast cancer.

THE FACTS: A popular Facebook video is falsely suggesting that ivermectin, an approved antiparasitic drug that was peddled as an unproven treatment for COVID-19, is a known cure for cancer but is being withheld by officials.

“If you go to the NIH website and search for ivermectin and cancer, you will see that they have known for years — years, probably decades — that they have the cure for cancer,” a woman in the video claims. “And they had the cure for numerous other diseases and ailments and they’ve been hiding it from us.”

But experts say there is no data showing the drug is a “cure” for cancer.

A search on the NIH website for “ivermectin” and “cancer,” as the video instructs, simply shows that there have been early studies exploring if ivermectin can play a role in slowing cancer cell growth or treating tumors.