Combination of Cefotaxime and Cisplatin Specifically and Selectively Enhances Anticancer Efficacy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Background: HMOX1 has a dual role in cancers, especially involving chemoresistance. We demonstrate that cephalosporin antibiotics exert strong anticancer activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma mainly via drastic upregulation of HMOX1.

Objectives: Cephalosporin antibiotics are commonly used for the treatment or prophylaxis of bacterial infectious diseases in cancer patients.

Cephalosporin antibiotics specifically and selectively target nasopharyngeal carcinoma through HMOX1-induced ferroptosis.

Aims: Many antibiotics derived from mold metabolites have been found to possess anticarcinogenic properties. We aimed to investigate whether they may elicit anticancer activity, especially against nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Main Methods: The response of nasopharyngeal and other carcinoma cell lines to cephalosporin antibiotics was evaluated in vitro and in vivo.