WY14643 - also known as pirinixic acid - is a versatile fatty acid mimetic that was originally developed as lipid lowering agent without knowledge of its molecular target. Various later studies discovered somewhat promiscuous activity of the compound on several receptors and enzymes. Pirinixic acid though never having reached clinical use was subjected to many in vivo studies and exerted beneficial effects in a variety of disease models. Areas covered: Inventions claiming the use of WY14643 for numerous indications ranging from the originally intended application in metabolic dysbalances over cancer and inflammation to some rare syndromes have been evaluated. Expert opinion: It is rather unlikely that pirinixic acid will gain relevance in treatment of metabolic diseases for which it was originally developed because more efficient and selective alternatives are available. Instead, several other claimed activities of the compound e.g. in inflammation, neurodegeneration and cancer seem very promising. However, some of the underlying studies are biased and for some effects of pirinixic acid, the molecular target and mode of action remain to be identified.
Keywords: Fatty acid mimetic; drug discovery; metabolic diseases; neurodegeneration; nuclear receptor modulator.