Niclosamide: Beyond an antihelminthic drug

Highlights

• Niclosamide is an oral antihelminthic drug used to treat parasitic infections.

• Niclosamide is a multifunctional drug inhibiting multiple signaling pathways and biological processes.

• Niclosamide has biological activities potentially against systemic diseases.

Abstract

Niclosamide is an oral antihelminthic drug used to treat parasitic infections in millions of people worldwide. However recent studies have indicated that niclosamide may have broad clinical applications for the treatment of diseases other than those caused by parasites. These diseases and symptoms may include cancer, bacterial and viral infection, metabolic diseases such as Type II diabetes, NASH and NAFLD, artery constriction, endometriosis, neuropathic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease, and systemic sclerosis. Among the underlying mechanisms associated with the drug actions of niclosamide are uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation, and modulation of Wnt/β-catenin, mTORC1, STAT3, NF-κB and Notch signaling pathways. Here we provide a brief overview of the biological activities of niclosamide, its potential clinical applications, and its challenges for use as a new therapy for systemic diseases.