Editorial: Repurposing β-blockers for non-cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic Repurposing β-blockers for non-cardiovascular diseases β-Blockers are a class of drugs that have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, Some β-blockers have been found to be effective in treating other disorders beyond the cardiovascular system, such as CNS conditions, diabetes, cancer, and organ toxicities (Alaskar et al., 2023;Beaman et al., 2023;Chen et al., 2023;Shahid et al., 2023). Furthermore, β-blockers are proposed to act as immunomodulators due to the role of β-adrenergic receptors in immunity (Fjaestad et al., 2022). Regarding the protection against organ toxicity, non-selective β-blockers, such as carvedilol and propranolol, have been found to protect against renal toxicity (Rodrigues et al., 2010;Rezayat et al., 2017). The effects of β-blockers on diseases outside of the cardiovascular system may not necessarily be related to their β-blocking activity. This issue compiles preclinical and clinical studies, along with a review article, on the use of βblockers for non-cardiovascular diseases. These studies provide evidence for repurposing these FDA-approved drugs for other diseases and identifying new mechanisms for their use beyond β-adrenergic receptor blockade.According to Massalee and Coa, β-blockers could be a possible treatment for cancer by blocking β-adrenergic receptor signaling, which is associated with tumor growth and immune system suppression. β-Blockers may also work well in combination with chemotherapy by enhancing anti-proliferative, antimitotic, and antimitochondrial properties, leading to better control of tumors and improved therapy outcomes. β-Blockers could also improve cancer immunotherapy by blocking immunosuppressive signaling and boosting the functionality of immune cells such as CD8 + T cells. Nonselective β-blockers, which inhibit both β1-and β2-adrenergic receptors, may be more effective in decreasing tumor proliferation and improving overall survival compared to selective β-blockers. More preclinical and clinical studies are needed to confirm the synergistic potential of combining β-blockers with conventional cancer therapies and/or immunotherapies. There are still challenges in understanding the mechanisms underlying the non-cardiovascular effects of β-blockers and how to use these drugs to improve clinical outcomes in non-cardiovascular diseases.Yang et al. aimed to evaluate the potential association between β-blockers and reduced mortality in patients with sepsis. The study involved analyzing data from two large ICU databases comprising 61,751 sepsis patients, out of which 43.8% received β-blockers. The data set included both selective and non-selective β-blockers administered by intravenous