Pentamidine dimesylate is an inhibitor of calcium-dependent complex formation with p53 [(Ca)S100B-p53) in malignant melanoma (MM). Pentamidine dimesylate restores p53 tumor suppressor activity in vivo.
Heptamidine is an effective Pentamidine-related inhibitor of the calcium-binding protein S100B (Kd: 6.9 μM). It selectively kills melanoma cells with S100B over those without S100B. It is a useful tool for the investigation of Myotonic dystrophy.