Question explored with the scientific record
Does anastrazole have antiparasitic properties being it is an -azole medication
The short version: anastrozole is not an antiparasitic drug, and the "-azole" suffix is a naming coincidence that tells you nothing about activity against parasites.
Anastrozole is a third-generation aromatase inhibitor designed to block the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens [6]. It belongs to a chemical class called triazoles, which share a five-membered ring with three nitrogen atoms. Some true antiparasitic drugs like fluconazole and itraconazole are also azoles, but they work by blocking a fungal enzyme (lanosterol 14α-demethylase) that anastrozole does not target. The shared suffix reflects a structural family, not a shared mechanism.
The evidence retrieved contains no study testing anastrozole against any parasite, fungus, or infectious organism. Every record is about breast cancer, hormone-sensitive conditions, or metabolic effects [1-24]. The closest you get is a computational study of anastrozole-based triazole analogues docking against human cytochrome P450 enzymes [4], which is about drug metabolism, not infection. There is no mechanism by which aromatase inhibition would kill a parasite, and no data suggesting it does.
My call: anastrozole has no known antiparasitic properties. The "-azole" ending is a red herring. Confidence: high.
Sources used 24
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Effect of anastrozole and tamoxifen on lipid metabolism in Japanese postmenopausal women with early breast cancer
In a randomized trial of 49 Japanese postmenopausal women with early breast cancer, anastrozole versus tamoxifen produced distinct lipid metabolism effects over 12 weeks, with anastrozole preserving cholesterol levels but improving HDL-C, triglycerides, and remnant lipoprotein c…
DOI: 10.1080/02841860510007585 -
The effect of third-generation aromatase inhibitors on aromatase avtivity in visceral adipose tissue
Visceral adipose tissue aromatase activity decreases and serum adiponectin increases when Syrian hamsters with diet-induced metabolic syndrome are treated with third-generation aromatase inhibitors, with letrozole producing the strongest effects.
DOI: 10.15421/021831 -
Dual aromatase–sulfatase inhibitors based on the anastrozole template: synthesis, in vitro SAR, molecular modelling and in vivo activity
This study presents the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel Dual Aromatase-Sulfatase Inhibitors (DASIs) based on the Anastrozole template, demonstrating potent in vitro and in vivo activity against aromatase and steroid sulfatase, with implications for hormone-dependent…
DOI: 10.1039/b707768h -
Comprehensive quantum mechanical studies on three bioactive anastrozole based triazole analogues and their SERS active graphene complex
A comprehensive computational study of three bioactive anastrozole-based triazole analogues (TR1–TR3) and their SERS-active graphene complex, integrating DFT/TD-DFT, NBO/MEP analyses, PES scans, and molecular docking to predict structural, electronic, optical properties, potenti…
DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.128388 -
Functional Genetic Polymorphisms in the Aromatase Gene CYP19 Vary the Response of Breast Cancer Patients to Neoadjuvant Therapy with Aromatase Inhibitors
This study shows that two common CYP19 promoter polymorphisms (rs6493497 and rs7176005) near exon 1.1 alter aromatase expression/activity and plasma estrogen levels, shaping breast cancer patients' responses to neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitors, with functional genomics supportin…
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-09-3224 -
Pharmacological profile of MEN 11066, a novel potent and selective aromatase inhibitor
This study characterizes MEN 11066 as a highly potent and selective non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor with strong in vitro and in vivo activity against aromatase, comparable to letrozole and analogous to anastrozole, while showing high selectivity with minimal off-target effects…
DOI: 10.1016/s0960-0760(03)00073-6 -
New findings about endocrine therapy for breast cancer
A comprehensive 2003 review of emerging adjuvant endocrine therapy data for breast cancer, highlighting the roles of ovarian suppression and aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, anastrozole) versus tamoxifen across premenopausal and postmenopausal settings, with implications for pra…
DOI: 10.1016/s0960-9776(03)00138-3 -
Hormonal therapy in epithelial ovarian cancer
Endocrine therapies in epithelial ovarian cancer are generally safe and inexpensive but yield modest responses, with some activity in receptor-rich subtypes and granulosa cell tumors, suggesting a potential palliation/consolidation role pending more rigorous, receptor-guided tri…
DOI: 10.1586/14737140.6.1.43 -
Management of aromatase inhibitor induced musculoskeletal symptoms in postmenopausal early Breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This is a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating pharmacological, non-pharmacological (CAM and physical activity), and acupuncture-based interventions for aromatase inhibitor-induced musculoskeletal symptoms (AIMSS) in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer, findi…
DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2017.01.010 -
An integrated view of aromatase and its inhibition
This 2003 review integrates clinical and mechanistic data on aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal breast cancer, highlighting that estrogen receptor status is the primary predictor of response but that additional biomarkers (PgR, c-erbB2, in situ aromatase activity, and gene-e…
DOI: 10.1016/s0960-0760(03)00352-2 -
Alternative Anastrozole Target CYP4V2 Impairs Neurons in Preclinical Models of Inherited Tauopathy
The study identifies off-target CYP4V2 as the mediator of neuroprotection by the Aromatase inhibitor anastrozole in both a Drosophila tauopathy model and human MAPT R406W iPSC-derived cortical neurons, showing that CYP4V2 inhibition reduces oxidative stress and Tau phosphorylati…
DOI: 10.1101/2025.11.29.689498 -
A European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre phase II trial of anastrozole in combination with gefitinib or placebo in hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer (NCT00066378)
A multicentre randomized phase II trial tested whether adding gefitinib to continuously administered anastrozole improves 1-year progression-free survival in postmenopausal women with HR-positive advanced/metastatic breast cancer; the study was stopped early for slow accrual and…
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2015.10.012 -
Aromatase Destabilizer: Novel Action of Exemestane, a Food and Drug Administration–Approved Aromatase Inhibitor
Exemestane destabilizes aromatase protein via proteasome-mediated degradation in aromatase-overexpressing breast cancer cells, revealing a novel action beyond its established enzymatic inhibition.
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-2134 -
Preclinical and clinical studies of estrogen deprivation support the PDGF/Abl pathway as a novel therapeutic target for overcoming endocrine resistance in breast cancer
Estrogen deprivation activates PDGF/Abl signaling in ER-positive breast cancer, and dual PDGFR/Abl inhibition with nilotinib suppresses LTED proliferation and ER-driven transcription, suggesting this pathway as a therapeutic target to overcome endocrine resistance.
DOI: 10.1186/bcr3191 -
Identification of chemokine receptors as potential modulators of endocrine resistance in oestrogen receptor–positive breast cancers
CXCR7 emerges as a key mediator of endocrine resistance in ER+ breast cancer, with LTED cells showing CXCR7 upregulation and dependence for proliferation; clinically, high CXCR7 associates with poor relapse-free survival, and pharmacological or genetic inhibition of CXCR7 suppre…
DOI: 10.1186/s13058-014-0447-1 -
A Randomized Prospective Double-Blind Comparison Trial of Clomiphene Citrate and Anastrozole in Raising Testosterone in Hypogonadal Infertile Men
This study compares the effectiveness of clomiphene citrate and anastrozole in raising testosterone levels in hypogonadal infertile men, finding that clomiphene citrate resulted in significantly higher testosterone levels than anastrozole after 12 weeks of treatment.
DOI: 10.1111/jsm.12944 -
Adrenomedullin: A potential autocrine growth factor for human breast epithelial cells during development and carcinogenesis
The ATAC trial investigates the efficacy and safety of tamoxifen alone, Arimidex (anastrozole) alone, and their combination as adjuvant treatment in post-menopausal women with early breast cancer, revealing significant demographic data and treatment outcomes.
DOI: 10.1016/s0959-8049(98)80349-3 -
Growth and pubertal outcome of three-years medical treatment of peripheral precocious puberty in a boy with McCune-Albright Syndrome: a case report
This case report describes a four-year-old boy with McCune-Albright syndrome and peripheral precocious puberty who, after three years of combined bicalutamide and anastrozole therapy, showed reduced pubertal growth velocity and IGF-1 normalization with stable pubertal progressio…
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-025-06157-8 -
Central precocious puberty in a case of late-diagnosed familial testotoxicosis and long-term treatment monitoring
This study presents a case of a 7.5-year-old boy with familial testotoxicosis and central precocious puberty, detailing the long-term treatment with anastrozole and bicalutamide, and the clinical outcomes observed over three years.
DOI: 10.1007/s42000-018-0029-1 -
Third-generation Aromatase Inhibitor Improved Adult Height in a Japanese Boy with Testotoxicosis
A Japanese boy with testotoxicosis caused by an LH/CGR A572V mutation was treated with a combination of a third-generation aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) and spironolactone, which slowed bone-age advancement and resulted in an adult height of 166.9 cm, suggesting potential ef…
DOI: 10.1297/cpe.23.53 -
Adjuvant endocrine therapy plus zoledronic acid in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer: 62-month follow-up from the ABCSG-12 randomised trial
The ABCSG-12 trial demonstrates that the addition of zoledronic acid to adjuvant endocrine therapy significantly improves disease-free survival in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer, while also revealing a concerning trend of inferior overall survival in patients…
DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(11)70122-x -
A Comparison of the Efficacy of Aromatase Inhibitors in Second-Line Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
This study compares the efficacy of third-generation aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, anastrozole, and exemestane) as second-line treatments for hormone-sensitive metastatic breast cancer after tamoxifen failure, demonstrating significant improvements in response rates and toler…
DOI: 10.1097/00000421-200308001-00003 -
Combination clomiphene citrate and anastrozole duotherapy improves semen parameters in a multi-institutional, retrospective cohort of infertile men
A multi-center retrospective study in infertile men shows that adding clomiphene citrate to anastrozole modestly improves total motile sperm count and normozoospermia rates compared with anastrozole alone, suggesting potential fertility benefits that warrant prospective validati…
DOI: 10.21037/tau-23-454 -
Switching of postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer to anastrozole after 2 years' adjuvant tamoxifen: combined results of ABCSG trial 8 and ARNO 95 trial
A large pooled analysis of ABCSG trial 8 and ARNO 95 shows that switching post-2 years of tamoxifen to the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole improves event-free and distant recurrence-free survival in postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer, albeit with …
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67059-6