Recreational Drugs and the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Recreational or aesthetic drug use is a distinctive behavior of humans, principally attested in the last century. It is known that recreational and illegal drugs are major contributors to the universal morbidity rate worldwide. Many of these substances have a well-established hepatotoxic potential, causing acute or chronic liver injury, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, but their implications for hepatocellular carcinoma or other varieties of liver tumors are little known. In this article, we perform an extensive literature review, aiming to provide updated information about recreational drug use and the risk of developing liver tumors. Khat use and pyrrolizidine alkaloid consumption (present in some natural plants) have been linked to liver cirrhosis. Kava intake is associated with different liver tumors in animal models but not in humans. Cannabis’ potential to accelerate liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis is controversial according to the existing data. Cigarette smoking is an important contributor to hepatocellular carcinoma, and anabolic androgen steroids are well-defined causes of a variety of liver cancers and other hepatic tumors. Long-term follow-up studies of subjects who have developed injuries in association with the use of recreational drugs are warranted so as to better define the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma in association with these substances and, thus, to implement health care policies to combat this preventable cause of cancer.

Design, Synthesis, and Antiproliferative Activities of 1,3‐Disubstituted 2‐Thioxoimidazolidin‐4‐one Derivatives against HepG2 and MCF‐7 Cells

“…In this study, 1,3-disubstituted-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones (3-8) and diazine derivatives (9)(10)(11) were produced and shown to have potent anti-proliferative action against both breast (MCF-7) and liver (HepG2) tumor tissue cultures. Especially compound 11 indicated inhibitory activity toward VEGFR-2, aromatase, and sulphatase.…”

“…Compound 2 was synthesized according to published procedures [21,22] In Scheme 2, the halogenation and azo reactions of compound 3 with Br in phenyl diazonium chloride and glacial acetic acid were involved in a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction in the presence of compound 3 to obtain 2,4-dibromo-6-(1-(5-oxo-2-thioxoimidazolidin-1-ylimino)ethyl)phenyl acetate (7) and 3-(1-(2-hydroxy-5-(phenyldiazenyl)phenyl)ethylideneamino)-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one (8), respectively. In addition, compounds 3, 7, and 8 were subjected to a hydrazine hydrate-ethanol-reflux reaction to produce the desired diazine analogs (9)(10)(11). Compound 10's mass spectrum clearly displayed the molecular ion peak characteristic of these unsteady chemicals.…”

“…Although the majority of cases of cirrhosis are caused by chronic viral hepatitis, chronic alcohol consumption, and any other cause of cirrhosis could lead to hepatocellular cancer. [8,9] One of the most often diagnosed tumors in women is breast cancer (BC). [10] Approximately 685,000 people died from BC in 2020, making it the seventh greatest cause of cancer death globally.…”

“…Accordingly, it is predicted that one in three cirrhotic patients may develop HCC at some point in their lives. Although the majority of cases of cirrhosis are caused by chronic viral hepatitis, chronic alcohol consumption, and any other cause of cirrhosis could lead to hepatocellular cancer [8,9] …”

Drug-induced cholestasis: causative agents and challenges in diagnosis and management

“…Hy's law is commonly fulfilled in hepatocellular cases, but fulminant liver failure has not been reported. Acute kidney injury accompanies AAS-hepatotoxicity in 14-24% of cases, and it is related to the extremely high bilirubin levels [107,108]. Besides, the long-term use of anabolic steroids has been associated with peliosis hepatis and liver tumours [109].…”