Mechanism of the Anticancer & Immunosuppression Effects of 6-Thiopurine Drugs

6-thiopurine (6-TP) analogs  including Azathioprine (AZA), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), and 6-thioguanine (6-TG)  are important chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of autoimmune disorders and various tumors, including acute leukemia and adenocarcinomas.  However, a clear mechanism of action of 6-TP drugs as an immune disorder chemotherapeutic was yet to be determined.  We elucidated a chemistry-based 6-TP-mediated suppression of T-cell activation, thereby suppressing certain immune responses.  The anticipated results of our study may lead to a molecular and mechanistic basis for developing therapies for immune disorders, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  Given that the rate of metastasis of cells derived from Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) as well as certain prostate cancers was significant blocked by treatment with these analogs of 6-TP may be used as antimetastatic drugs for IBC and certain prostate cancers.