AXL inhibitor SGI-7079 suppresses the growth of retinoblastoma via PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

  • Exp Eye Res. 2026 Jul:268:110993. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2026.110993.
Tingting Chen  1 ,  Yongan Lu  2 ,  Chunyue Yao  3 ,  Yijia Chen  1 ,  Weiqi Wu  4 ,  Yanyan Zhang  5 ,  Guofu Huang  6
Affiliations
  • 1. State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
  • 2. Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, Sichuan, China.
  • 3. Medical Department of Graduate School, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
  • 4. Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
  • 5. Department of Ophthalmology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital & the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6. State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41921849 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2026.110993
Abstract

Among children, retinoblastoma (RB) is the leading primary ocular tumor, and Axl emerges as a significant player in tumors. Our research showed AXL's expression was elevated in clinical retinoblastoma tumors relative to normal retinas. This upregulation was further validated through analysis of the GEO database. In vitro, SGI-7079 (Axl Inhibitor) reduced RB cell line growth in a manner that depended on time and concentration, resulting in G2/M phase accumulation and Apoptosis, and suppressed the expression of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In vivo, SGI-7079 suppressed xenograft tumor growth. In summary, the research indicates that SGI-7079 might become a therapeutic strategy for RB.

Keywords
PI3K/AKT/ mTOR; Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor; Retinoblastoma; SGI-7079.
Products