Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors as potential anticancer agents

Oncological diseases are one of the leading causes of death in the world. Despite the intensive search for new methods to increase the effectiveness and safety of antitumor therapy and reduce resistance to it from malignant tumors, treatment issues still remain open in clinical oncology. This review analyzes experimental data indicating the antineoplastic effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2 inhibitors): provides the grounds for which SGLT-2 inhibitors can be used to treat malignant tumors, determines the class specificity and dose dependence of the antineoplastic effect of drugs. Possible mechanisms of the antitumor effect of gliflozins are described in detail, among which, in addition to reducing the flow of glucose into tumor cells, a significant role is played by inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, increased activity of AMP-activated protein kinase with subsequent changes in the lipid profile of tumor cells and inhibition of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) protein kinase, disruption of DNA and RNA synthesis in malignant tumor cells, etc. Significant space is given to the pro-oncogenic effect of NGLT-2, previously indisputable and refuted today, as well as the interaction of this class of antidiabetic agents with other methods of antitumor treatment in the context of efficacy, safety and therapeutic resistance.