Cilostazol may serve as a repurposed therapy for sickle cell disease by simultaneously addressing microvascular dysfunction, platelet hyperactivation, and impaired perfusion.
Does cilostazol improve outcomes in patients with sickle cell disease?
Cilostazol presents biological plausibility as a repurposed therapeutic agent to address multiple pathological components of sickle cell disease.
ABSTRACT Sickle cell disease is a multisystem hemoglobinopathycharacterized by vaso-occlusion , chronic hemolysis ,endothelial dysfunction ,inflammation , and progressive organ damage. Despite advances in disease modifying therapies such as hydroxyurea and monoclonal antibodies targeting adhesion pathways , many patients continue to experience recurrent vaso-occlusive crises. Cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase-3 inhibitor , increase intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate resulting in vasodilation, inhibition of platelet aggregation , improvement of endothelial function , and modulation of blood rheology . emerging mechanistic evidence suggests that cilostazol ma address multiple pathological components of sickle cell disease simultaneously, particulary microvascular dysfunction , platelet hyperactivation, and impaired perfusion . The review synthesizes current mechanistic knowledge and proposes cilostazol as a potential repurposed therapeutic agent in sickle cell disease , highlighting biological plausibility and future research directions
Ali Al Khatib (2026) studied this question. Cilostazol may serve as a repurposed therapy for sickle cell disease by simultaneously addressing microvascular dysfunction, platelet hyperactivation, and impaired perfusion.