More than Just an Immunosuppressant: The Emerging Role of FTY720 as a Novel Inducer of ROS and Apoptosis

Figure 1

FTY720 has anticancer properties as well as immunosuppressive activity. The nonphosphorylated form of FTY720 exhibits antiproliferative activity through inhibition of SK1 and generation of ROS and affects oncogenic signaling molecules and so on. In contrast, phospho-FTY720 (FTY720-P), which is converted from FTY720 by sphingosine kinases such as SK2, is exported through transporter and acts as a functional antagonist at S1P receptor thereby inhibiting lymphocyte egress from lymphoid organs. Chemical structures of FTY720 and FTY720-P are shown.