Trifluoperazine and Its Analog Suppressed the Tumorigenicity of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell; Applicability of Antipsychotic Drugs to Lung Cancer Treatment

Drug Repositioning via Multi-View Representation Learning With Heterogeneous Graph Neural Network

Exploring simple and efficient computational methods for drug repositioning has emerged as a popular and compelling topic in the realm of comprehensive drug development. The crux of this technology lies in identifying potential drug-disease associations, which can effectively mitigate the burdens caused by the exorbitant costs and lengthy periods of conventional drugs development. However, existing computational drug repositioning methods continue to encounter challenges in accurately predicting associations between drugs and diseases. In this paper, we propose a Multi-view Representation Learning method (MRLHGNN) with Heterogeneous Graph Neural Network for drug repositioning. This method is based on a collection of data from multiple biological entities associated with drugs or diseases. It consists of a view-specific feature aggregation module with meta-paths and auto multi-view fusion encoder. To better utilize local structural and semantic information from specific views in heterogeneous graph, MRLHGNN employs a feature aggregation model with variable-length meta-paths to expand the local receptive field. Additionally, it utilizes a transformer based semantic aggregation module to aggregate semantic features across different view-specific graphs. Finally, potential drug-disease associations are obtained through a multi-view fusion decoder with an attention mechanism. Cross-validation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and interpretability of the MRLHGNN in comparison to nine state-of-the-art approaches. Case studies further reveal that MRLHGNN can serve as a powerful tool for drug repositioning.

Repurposing of the Antipsychotic Trifluoperazine Induces SLC7A11/GPX4- Mediated Ferroptosis of Oral Cancer via the ROS/Autophagy Pathway

Ferroptosis, a mode of cell death characterized by iron-dependent phospholipid peroxidation, has a substantial therapeutic potential for the treatment of various cancers. This study investigated the effects of trifluoperazine (TFP), an FDA-approved drug traditionally utilized for mental health disorder, on oral cancer cells, with a particular focus on the mechanisms involved in its potential anti-tumor properties. Our findings indicate that TFP significantly elevates the levels of lipid-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induces ferroptotic cell death in oral cancer cells through pathways involving autophagy, the SLC7A11/GPX4 axis, and mitochondrial damage. Additionally, molecular docking analyses revealed that TFP acts as an inhibitor of GPX4. The elevated expression level of GPX4 in oral cancer biopsies was also found to correlate with a poor prognosis. Together, these results provide evidence that TFP selectively induces GPX4-mediated, autophagy-dependent ferroptosis, thereby exerting anti-cancer effects against oral cancer and preventable death.

Regulation of ADAM10 activity through microdomain-dependent intracellular calcium changes

A disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs) are transmembrane proteases that cleave other proteins close to the surface in a process called shedding. The prominent member ADAM10 has been linked to several pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease, bacterial infection, cancer development and metastasis. Although the regulation of the ADAM10 activity by calcium influx and calmodulin inhibition has been reported, the spatiotemporal regulation of Ca2+-dependent ADAM10 activation and the required source of Ca2+ ions have not been thoroughly studied. In the present study, we observed the rapid Ca2+-dependent activation of ADAM10 in A549 lung carcinoma cells upon stimulation with ionomycin. The calmodulin-inhibitors trifluoperazine and ophiobolin A mediated delayed activation of ADAM10, which apparently did not depend on intracellular Ca2+ in the case of trifluoperazine. Furthermore, the surface translocation and release of ADAM10 in extracellular vesicles exhibited different kinetics and were only partially linked to catalytic activation. Finally, ADAM10 activation was observed after the entry of Ca2+ through certain channels, such as canonical members of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. Therefore, the opening of particular channels for Ca2+ entry points and subsequent Ca2+ flux as well as the temporal aspects of the consequent increase in Ca2+ levels, must be considered for future therapeutic options involving the increasing or decreasing ADAM10 activity.

Lung Adenocarcinoma Systems Biomarker and Drug Candidates Identified by Machine Learning, Gene Expression Data, and Integrative Bioinformatics Pipeline

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a significant planetary health challenge with its high morbidity and mortality rate, not to mention the marked interindividual variability in treatment outcomes and side effects. There is an urgent need for robust systems biomarkers that can help with early cancer diagnosis, prediction of treatment outcomes, and design of precision/personalized medicines for LUAD. The present study aimed at systems biomarkers of LUAD and deployed integrative bioinformatics and machine learning tools to harness gene expression data. Predictive models were developed to stratify patients based on prognostic outcomes. Importantly, we report here several potential key genes, for example, PMEL and BRIP1, and pathways implicated in the progression and prognosis of LUAD that could potentially be targeted for precision/personalized medicine in the future. Our drug repurposing analysis and molecular docking simulations suggested eight drug candidates for LUAD such as heat shock protein 90 inhibitors, cardiac glycosides, an antipsychotic agent (trifluoperazine), and a calcium ionophore (ionomycin). In summary, this study identifies several promising leads on systems biomarkers and drug candidates for LUAD. The findings also attest to the importance of integrative bioinformatics, structural biology and machine learning techniques in biomarker discovery, and precision oncology research and development.

Preparation and anti-tumor effects of mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with trifluoperazine

We have developed a targeted nano-drug delivery system that effectively harnesses the anti-tumor properties of trifluoperazine (TFP), while concurrently mitigating its side effects on the central nervous system. The manufacturing process entailed the preparation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN-NH2), followed by the loading of trifluoperazine into the pores of MSN-NH2 and then surface modification with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and anisamide (AA), resulting in the formation of TFP@MSN@PEG-AA (abbreviated as TMPA) nanoparticles. In vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity and hemolysis experiments showed that TMPA had an excellent safety profile and a good anti-tumor effect. Importantly, the drug content of the TMPA nanoparticle group was found to be significantly lower than that of the TFP group in the mouse brain tissue as determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) detection. Therefore, the developed drug delivery system achieved the goal of maintaining TFP's anti-tumor action while avoiding its negative effects on the central nervous system.

Association between cumulative exposure periods of flupentixol or any antipsychotics and risk of lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Preclinical evidence suggests that certain antipsychotic medications may inhibit the development of lung cancer. This study aims to investigate the association between incident lung cancer and different cumulative exposure periods of flupentixol or any antipsychotics.

METHODS

Using electronic health records from the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong, this nested case-control study included case participants aged 18 years or older with newly diagnosed lung cancer after initiating antipsychotics between January 1, 2003, and August 31, 2022. Each case was matched to up to ten controls of the same sex and age, who were also antipsychotic users. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were conducted to quantify the association between lung cancer and different cumulative exposure times of flupentixol (0-365 days [ref]; 366-1825 days; 1826+ days) and any antipsychotics (1-365 days [ref]; 366-1825 days; 1826+ days), separately.

RESULTS

Here we show that among 6435 cases and 64,348 matched controls, 64.06% are males, and 52.98% are aged 65-84 years. Compared to patients with less than 365 days of exposure, those with 366-1825 days of exposure to flupentixol (OR = 0.65 [95% CI, 0.47-0.91]) and any antipsychotics (0.42 [0.38-0.45]) have a lower risk of lung cancer. A decreased risk is observed in patients who have 1826+ days of cumulative use of any antipsychotics (0.54 [0.47-0.60]).

CONCLUSIONS

A reduced risk of lung cancer is observed in patients with more than one year of exposure to flupentixol or any antipsychotics. Further research on the association between lung cancer and other antipsychotic agents is warranted.

The Role of Dopamine in Repurposing Drugs for Oncology

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role within the brain by regulating a wide variety of cognitive and emotional processes. In cancer, its role is distinct and uncertain, but it is characterized by the interaction with its receptors that may be in the tumor cells; we have examples of different types of cancer with this characteristic, of which breast and colon cancer stand out. It is believed that dopamine and some of its receptors also influence other cellular processes such as cell proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion. The potential of these receptors has allowed the exploration of existing drugs, originally developed for non-oncological purposes, for the possible treatment of cancer. However, regarding the repurposing of drugs for cancer treatment, the role of dopamine is not so straightforward and needs to be clarified. For this reason, this review intends to present concepts associated with twelve drugs reused for oncology based on dopamine and its receptors. Some of them can behave as antagonists and inhibit tumor cell growth leading to cell death. Attention to this group of drugs may enhance the study of other pharmacological conditions such as signaling pathways related to cell proliferation and migration. Modulation of these pathways using drugs originally developed for other conditions may offer potential therapeutic opportunities in oncology. It is important to note that while the repurposing of oncology drugs based on dopamine signaling is promising, further studies are still needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved and determine the clinical efficacy and safety of these approaches.

Stonin 2 activates lysosomal-mTOR axis for cell survival in oral cancer

Aberrant expression of various genes is associated with the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Stonin 2, an endocytic protein, has a prominent role in clathrin-associated endocytosis. Its position in oral cancer is still unknown. Here, we report that STON2 expression increases with an increase in the grade of the oral cancer tissue. Further, STON2 overexpressed cells possess a higher rate of proliferation and migraton in oral cancer cells. STON2 helps maintain lysosomal functions by preserving the lysosomal membrane integrity. It activates the Akt-mTOR axis and retains the mTOR on the membrane of the lysosomes. Further, we have identified an inhibitor of STON2, i.e., Trifluoperazine dihydrochloride (TFP), which targets the lysosomal axis by disrupting the Akt-mTOR pathway and causes lysosomal membrane permeabilization. Intererstingly, TFP shows a decrease in cell vaibility on the oral cancer cells and it was observed that cell viability is restored in TFP-treated STON2 overexpressed cells. Moreover, the lysosomal activity and the Akt-mTOR expression are restored in STON2 overexpressed cells co-treated with TFP, establishing TFP targets STON2 to showcase its anti-cancer effects in oral cancer. In conclusion, STON2 might serve as a potential biomarker in oral cancer, and its inhibition could functions as a novel anti-cancer mechanims against oral cancer.