Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (884 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
An ergoline derivative and dopamine D2-agonist that inhibits prolactin secretion. It is used in the management of hyperprolactinemia, and to suppress lactation following childbirth for medical reasons. Cabergoline is also used in the management of parkinson disease.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: 1-((6-allylergolin-8beta-yl)carbonyl)-1-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-3-ethylurea; FCE 21336; FCE-21336; Galastop; Cabaser; Cabergoline Diphosphate; 1-Ethyl-2-(3'-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-(6'-allylergoline-8'-beta-carbonyl)urea diphosphate; Cabaseril.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Ergolines
Related concepts
- Prolactin
- Hyperprolactinemia
- Parkinson Disease
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 1,379 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Cabergoline” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 286 of them (20.7%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 495 records.
Reviews account for 208 records (15.1%) and meta-analyses for 28. Randomized controlled trials number 103 (7.5%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 148 |
| 2000-2009 | 450 |
| 2010-2019 | 495 |
| 2020 onward | 286 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 208 | 15.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 28 | 2.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 103 | 7.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Cabergoline"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bromocriptine and cabergoline induce cell death in prolactinoma cells via the ERK/EGR1 and AKT/mTOR pathway respectively | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 30 | cc by PMID 31000722 · DOI · PMC6472389 |
| Dopamine Modulates Option Generation for Behavior | 2018 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 23 | cc by PMID 29731299 · DOI · PMC5981001 |
| Brazilian multicenter study on pegvisomant treatment in acromegaly | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 22 | cc by PMID 31365632 · DOI · PMC10528655 |
| Long-term cabergoline use does not predict degree of prolactinoma fibrosis nor significantly impact surgical outcomes | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 41524959 · DOI · PMC12795900 |
Bromocriptine and cabergoline induce cell death in prolactinoma cells via the ERK/EGR1 and AKT/mTOR pathway respectively [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The treatment of hyperprolactinemia is based on the use of dopamine agonists, mainly bromocriptine (BRC) and cabergoline (CAB).
- Closing excerpt
- Our study showed the difference in tumour sensitivity and differential mechanisms in BRC- and CAB-treated prolactinoma cells, which provides a theoretical basis for the accurate treatment of prolactinoma.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (188 words)
The treatment of hyperprolactinemia is based on the use of dopamine agonists, mainly bromocriptine (BRC) and cabergoline (CAB). They reduce tumour size effectively and restore gonadal function. However, there is a difference in drug sensitivity between CAB and BRC in patients with prolactinoma, although the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. Thus, we investigated whether there are differences in tumour sensitivity to CAB and BRC and their possible differential mechanisms in two prolactinoma cell lines. In our study, we found that GH3 cells are more sensitive to BRC and that MMQ cells are more sensitive to CAB. Moreover, BRC and CAB elicited cell death via different pathways; BRC induced prolactinoma cell death mainly through the apoptosis pathway, and CAB induced pituitary prolactinoma cell death mainly via the autophagic cell death pathway. Using gene microarray analysis, we found that BRC induces the apoptosis of prolactinoma cells through the ERK/EGR1 signalling pathway, whereas CAB induces autophagic death by inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signalling pathway. Our study showed the difference in tumour sensitivity and differential mechanisms in BRC- and CAB-treated prolactinoma cells, which provides a theoretical basis for the accurate treatment of prolactinoma.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31000722 · DOI · PMC6472389
Dopamine Modulates Option Generation for Behavior [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Animals make innumerable decisions every day, each of which involves evaluating potential options for action.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings show that dopamine plays an important role in modulating option generation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (261 words)
Animals make innumerable decisions every day, each of which involves evaluating potential options for action. But how are options generated? Although much is now known about decision making when a fixed set of potential options is provided, surprisingly little progress has been made on self-generated options. Some researchers have proposed that such abilities might be modulated by dopamine. Here, we used a new measure of option generation that is quantitative, objective, and culture fair to investigate how humans generate different behavioral options. Participants were asked to draw as many different paths (options) as they could between two points within a fixed time. Healthy individuals (n = 96) exhibited a trade-off between uniqueness (how individually different their options were) and fluency (number of options), generating either many similar or few unique options. To assess influence of dopamine, we first examined patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 35) ON and OFF their dopaminergic medication and compared them to elderly healthy controls (n = 34). Then we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of the D2 agonist cabergoline in healthy older people (n = 29). Across both studies, dopamine increased fluency but diminished overall uniqueness of options generated, due to the effect of fluency trading off with uniqueness. Crucially, however, when this trade-off was corrected for, dopamine was found to increase uniqueness for any given fluency. Three carefully designed control studies showed that performance on our option-generation task was not related to executing movements, planning actions, or selecting between generated options. These findings show that dopamine plays an important role in modulating option generation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 29731299 · DOI · PMC5981001
Brazilian multicenter study on pegvisomant treatment in acromegaly [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ObjectiveInvestigate the therapeutic response of acromegaly patients to pegvisomant (PEGV) in a real-life, Brazilian multicenter study.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsIn a real-life scenario, PEGV is a highly effective and safe treatment for acromegaly patients not controlled with other therapies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (242 words)
ObjectiveInvestigate the therapeutic response of acromegaly patients to pegvisomant (PEGV) in a real-life, Brazilian multicenter study.Subjects and methodsCharacteristics of acromegaly patients treated with PEGV were reviewed at diagnosis, just before and during treatment. All patients with at least two IGF-I measurements on PEGV were included. Efficacy was defined as any normal IGF-I measurement during treatment. Safety data were reviewed. Predictors of response were determined by comparing controlled versus uncontrolled patients.Results109 patients [61 women; median age at diagnosis 34 years; 95.3% macroadenomas] from 10 Brazilian centers were studied. Previous treatment included surgery (89%), radiotherapy (34%), somatostatin receptor ligands (99%), and cabergoline (67%). Before PEGV, median levels of GH, IGF-I and IGF-I % of upper limit of normal were 4.3 µg/L, 613 ng/mL, and 209%, respectively. Pre-diabetes/diabetes was present in 48.6% and tumor remnant in 71% of patients. Initial dose was 10 mg/day in all except 4 cases, maximum dose was 30 mg/day, and median exposure time was 30.5 months. PEGV was used as monotherapy in 11% of cases. Normal IGF-I levels was obtained in 74.1% of patients. Glycemic control improved in 56.6% of patients with pre-diabetes/diabetes. Exposure time, pre-treatment GH and IGF-I levels were predictors of response. Tumor enlargement occurred in 6.5% and elevation of liver enzymes in 9.2%. PEGV was discontinued in 6 patients and 3 deaths unrelated to the drug were reported.ConclusionsIn a real-life scenario, PEGV is a highly effective and safe treatment for acromegaly patients not controlled with other therapies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31365632 · DOI · PMC10528655
Long-term cabergoline use does not predict degree of prolactinoma fibrosis nor significantly impact surgical outcomes [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- PurposeProlactinomas are often treated initially with dopamine agonists (DA).
- Closing excerpt
- Neither CAB dose nor duration correlated with CVF (r2 ConclusionDuration and cumulative dose of presurgical CAB use do not correlate with quantitative measures of tumor fibrosis and do not reliably predict the degree of fibrosis at surgery or the likelihood of surgical remission.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (193 words)
PurposeProlactinomas are often treated initially with dopamine agonists (DA). For patients subsequently treated with surgery, the effect of cabergoline (CAB) on tumor fibrosis and its potential impact on surgical outcomes is largely unexplored.MethodsRecords of patients with prolactinoma treated by a single surgeon between 2006 and 2024 were examined. Analyses considered relationships among duration and cumulative dose of presurgical DA (DA + vs. DA-), extent of fibrosis measured quantitatively by collagen volume fraction (CVF) and qualitatively by surgeon assessment, and remission status at last follow-up.ResultsOf 59 patients, 22 were DA- and 37 were DA+, including 29 treated only with CAB and 8 treated with CAB and bromocriptine. There were 44 macroadenomas, 13 microadenomas, and 2 giant adenomas; 28 had cavernous sinus invasion (Knosp grade 3-4) 52.5% were in remission at last follow-up. Median cumulative CAB dose was 79.3 mg (range, 5.4-6711), used for a median duration of 570 days (range, 16-7830). Neither CAB dose nor duration correlated with CVF (r2 ConclusionDuration and cumulative dose of presurgical CAB use do not correlate with quantitative measures of tumor fibrosis and do not reliably predict the degree of fibrosis at surgery or the likelihood of surgical remission.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41524959 · DOI · PMC12795900
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Treatment of Pituitary and Other Tumours with Cabergoline: New Mechanisms and Potential Broader Applications [5]
- Research article Effect of cabergoline monotherapy in Cushing's disease: an individual participant data meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Cabergoline versus bromocriptine for the treatment of giant prolactinomas: A quantitative and systematic review [7]
- Research article Cabergoline: a review of its use in the inhibition of lactation for women living with HIV [8]
- Research article Safety of Cabergoline for Postpartum Lactation Inhibition or Suppression: A Systematic Review [9]
- Research article Nonhormonal Treatment for Endometriosis Focusing on Redox Imbalance [10]
References
- Tang C, Sun R, Wen G, Zhong C, Yang J, Zhu J, et al.. Bromocriptine and cabergoline induce cell death in prolactinoma cells via the ERK/EGR1 and AKT/mTOR pathway respectively. . 2019. PMID 31000722 · DOI · PMC6472389
- Ang YS, Manohar S, Plant O, Kienast A, Le Heron C, Muhammed K, et al.. Dopamine Modulates Option Generation for Behavior. . 2018. PMID 29731299 · DOI · PMC5981001
- Boguszewski CL, Huayllas MKP, Vilar L, Naves LA, Ribeiro-Oliveira Junior A, Soares BS, et al.. Brazilian multicenter study on pegvisomant treatment in acromegaly. . 2019. PMID 31365632 · DOI · PMC10528655
- Mamelak AN, Fox R, Rosenberg Y, Gomez D, Cui Y, Ben-Shlomo A, et al.. Long-term cabergoline use does not predict degree of prolactinoma fibrosis nor significantly impact surgical outcomes. . 2026. PMID 41524959 · DOI · PMC12795900
- Lin S, Zhang A, Zhang X, Wu ZB. Treatment of Pituitary and Other Tumours with Cabergoline: New Mechanisms and Potential Broader Applications. Neuroendocrinology. 2020. PMID 31597135 · DOI
- Palui R, Sahoo J, Kamalanathan S, Kar SS, Selvarajan S, Durgia H. Effect of cabergoline monotherapy in Cushing's disease: an individual participant data meta-analysis. J Endocrinol Invest. 2018. PMID 30097903 · DOI
- Huang HY, Lin SJ, Zhao WG, Wu ZB. Cabergoline versus bromocriptine for the treatment of giant prolactinomas: A quantitative and systematic review. Metab Brain Dis. 2018. PMID 29546691 · DOI
- Tulloch KJ, Dodin P, Tremblay-Racine F, Elwood C, Money D, Boucoiran I. Cabergoline: a review of its use in the inhibition of lactation for women living with HIV. J Int AIDS Soc. 2019. PMID 31183987 · DOI · PMC6558502
- Harris K, Murphy KE, Horn D, MacGilivray J, Yudin MH. Safety of Cabergoline for Postpartum Lactation Inhibition or Suppression: A Systematic Review. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2020. PMID 31285168 · DOI
- Nagayasu M, Imanaka S, Kimura M, Maruyama S, Kobayashi H. Nonhormonal Treatment for Endometriosis Focusing on Redox Imbalance. Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2021. PMID 33395684 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
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