Tilorone

Tilorone is an orally active antiviral agent and interferon inducer that also has potential antineoplastic, immunomodulatory, and metabolic modulating effects. Tilorone induces an abnormally delayed interferon response and primarily stimulates interferon production in lymphoid tissue. Thus, Tilorone exerts antiviral effects and can be used as a chemotherapeutic agent. Tilorone has the potential to inhibit type 2 diabetes by increasing glucose uptake in vivo and in skeletal muscle cells by enhancing Akt2/AS160 signaling and glucose transporter levels[1][2][3][4][5].

ChEBI: Tilorone is a member of the class of fluoren-9-ones that is 9H-fluoren-9-one which is substituted by a 2-(diethylamino)ethoxy group at positions 2 and 7. It is an interferon inducer and a selective alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha7 nAChR) agonist. Its hydrochloride salt is used as an antiviral drug. It has a role as an antiviral agent, an interferon inducer, an antineoplastic agent, an anti-inflammatory agent and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. It is a member of fluoren-9-ones, a tertiary amino compound, an aromatic ether and a diether. It is a conjugate base of a tilorone(2+).

[1] Stringfellow D A, et al. Tilorone hydrochloride: an oral interferon-inducing agent[J]. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 1972, 2(2): 73-78. DOI:10.1128/AAC.2.2.73
[2] Ekins S, et al. Efficacy of tilorone dihydrochloride against Ebola virus infection[J]. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 2018, 62(2): 10.1128/aac. 01711-17. DOI:10.1128/AAC.01711-17
[3] Kohler Z M, et al. Tilorone increases glucose uptake in vivo and in skeletal muscle cells by enhancing Akt2/AS160 signaling and glucose transporter levels[J]. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 2023, 238(5): 1080-1094. DOI:10.1002/jcp.30998
[4] Wissing M D, et al. Small-molecule screening of PC3 prostate cancer cells identifies tilorone dihydrochloride to selectively inhibit cell growth based on cyclin-dependent kinase 5 expression[J]. Oncology reports, 2014, 32(1): 419-424.