Dyclonine and alverine citrate enhance the cytotoxic effects of proteasome inhibitor MG132 on breast cancer cells.

Proteasome is an important target in cancer therapy. To enhance the efficacy of proteasome inhibitors is a challenging task due to the paucity of understanding the functional interactions between proteasome and other cellular pathways in mammalian cells. Taking advantage of the knowledge gained from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we show that dyclonine and alverine citrate, the major components of two over-the-counter medicines, can substantially enhance the cytotoxic effects of proteasome inhibitor MG132 on breast cancer cells. This study also highlights an important yeast genetic approach to identification of potential therapeutics that can be used for combination therapy with proteasome inhibitors.