The revival of dithiocarbamates: from pesticides to innovative medical treatments

Laurine Kaul; Regine Süss; Andrew Zannettino; Katharina Richter

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.102092

The revival of dithiocarbamates: from pesticides to innovative medical treatments

iScience. 2021 Jan 22;24(2):102092. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102092. eCollection 2021 Feb 19.

Authors

Laurine Kaul^{1

2

3}, Regine Süss², Andrew Zannettino^{3

4

5}, Katharina Richter^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Richter Lab, Department of Surgery, Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5011, Australia.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79104, Germany.
³ Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
⁴ Precision Medicine Theme, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
⁵ Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA 5011, Australia.

Abstract

Dithiocarbamates (DTCs) have been used for various applications, including as hardening agents in rubber manufacturing, as fungicide in agriculture, and as medications to treat alcohol misuse disorder. The multi-faceted effects of DTCs rely mainly on metal binding abilities and a high reactivity with thiol groups. Therefore, the list of potential applications is still increasing, exemplified by the US Food and Drug Administration approval of disulfiram (Antabuse) and its metabolite diethyldithiocarbamate in clinical trials against cancer, human immunodeficiency virus, and Lyme disease, as well as new DTC-related compounds that have been synthesized to target diseases with unmet therapeutic needs. In this review, we will discuss the latest progress of DTCs as anti-cancer agents and provide a summary of the mechanisms of action. We will explain the expansion of DTCs' activity in the fields of microbiology, neurology, cardiology, and ophthalmology, thereby providing evidence for the important role and therapeutic potential of DTCs as innovative medical treatments.

Keywords: Drugs; Microbiology.

Publication types

Review