Clofibrate Demonstrates Efficacy in In Vitro Treatment of Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma.

BACKGROUND/AIM Multiple myeloma (MM), a hematological malignancy of monoclonal B-lymphocytes, remains largely incurable and novel treatments are urgently required. Aberrant activation of wingless-related integration site (WNT)/β-catenin signaling has been demonstrated in both lymphoma and MM, rendering its signaling molecules attractive for the development of new targeted-therapies. Clofibrate has proven anticarcinogenic effects attributed to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonism, also affecting WNT-associated signaling molecules. MATERIALS AND METHODS The antitumor apoptotic effect of clofibrate at doses ranging from 0.1-600 μM was investigated on four human and one murine myeloma cell lines, as well as in two human lymphoma cell lines, using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide assay. RESULTS Clofibrate significantly reduced cell viability in all tested myeloma and lymphoma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, while healthy cells were hardly affected. CONCLUSION Given the known safety profile and induction of apoptosis at low effective doses, our data warrant further investigation of clofibrate as a novel therapy agent in MM.