nitroxoline

An orally bioavailable quinoline antibiotic, with potential antineoplastic activity. Upon oral administration, nitroxoline may induce apoptosis and inhibit tumor cell proliferation in NF1-null Schwann cells in neurofibromatosis type I through as of yet undisclosed mechanism of actions, other than inhibiting the RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, and possibly through modulating mitochondrial function. NF1 encodes neurofibromin which inactivates Ras. Loss of neurofibromin in neurofibromatosis type I results in increased Ras activity, which promotes the transcription of genes that drives tumor cell growth and proliferation. As an antibiotic, nitroxoline inhibits bacterial RNA polymerase.