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Orlikova-Boyer B, Lorant A, Gajulapalli SR, Cerella C, Schnekenburger M, Lee JY, Paik JY, Lee Y, Siegel D, Ross D, Han BW, Nguyen TKY, Christov C, Kang HJ, Dicato M, Diederich M. Antileukemic potential of methylated indolequinone MAC681 through immunogenic necroptosis and PARP1 degradation. Biomark Res 2024; 12:47. [PMID: 38704604 PMCID: PMC11069214 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-024-00594-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite advancements in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), resistance and intolerance remain significant challenges. Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) and TKI-resistant cells rely on altered mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation. Targeting rewired energy metabolism and inducing non-apoptotic cell death, along with the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), can enhance therapeutic strategies and immunogenic therapies against CML and prevent the emergence of TKI-resistant cells and LSC persistence. METHODS Transcriptomic analysis was conducted using datasets of CML patients' stem cells and healthy cells. DNA damage was evaluated by fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. Cell death was assessed by trypan blue exclusion test, fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, colony formation assay, and in vivo Zebrafish xenografts. Energy metabolism was determined by measuring NAD+ and NADH levels, ATP production rate by Seahorse analyzer, and intracellular ATP content. Mitochondrial fitness was estimated by measurements of mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS, and calcium accumulation by flow cytometry, and morphology was visualized by TEM. Bioinformatic analysis, real-time qPCR, western blotting, chemical reaction prediction, and molecular docking were utilized to identify the drug target. The immunogenic potential was assessed by high mobility group box (HMGB)1 ELISA assay, luciferase-based extracellular ATP assay, ectopic calreticulin expression by flow cytometry, and validated by phagocytosis assay, and in vivo vaccination assay using syngeneic C57BL/6 mice. RESULTS Transcriptomic analysis identified metabolic alterations and DNA repair deficiency signatures in CML patients. CML patients exhibited enrichment in immune system, DNA repair, and metabolic pathways. The gene signature associated with BRCA mutated tumors was enriched in CML datasets, suggesting a deficiency in double-strand break repair pathways. Additionally, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)1 was significantly upregulated in CML patients' stem cells compared to healthy counterparts. Consistent with the CML patient DNA repair signature, treatment with the methylated indolequinone MAC681 induced DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, calcium homeostasis disruption, metabolic catastrophe, and necroptotic-like cell death. In parallel, MAC681 led to PARP1 degradation that was prevented by 3-aminobenzamide. MAC681-treated myeloid leukemia cells released DAMPs and demonstrated the potential to generate an immunogenic vaccine in C57BL/6 mice. MAC681 and asciminib exhibited synergistic effects in killing both imatinib-sensitive and -resistant CML, opening new therapeutic opportunities. CONCLUSIONS Overall, increasing the tumor mutational burden by PARP1 degradation and mitochondrial deregulation makes CML suitable for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Orlikova-Boyer
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire du Cancer, BAM3 Pavillon 2, 6A Rue Nicolas-Ernest Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Anne Lorant
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire du Cancer, BAM3 Pavillon 2, 6A Rue Nicolas-Ernest Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Sruthi Reddy Gajulapalli
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Claudia Cerella
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire du Cancer, BAM3 Pavillon 2, 6A Rue Nicolas-Ernest Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Michael Schnekenburger
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire du Cancer, BAM3 Pavillon 2, 6A Rue Nicolas-Ernest Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Jin-Young Lee
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Keimyung University, Daegu, 42601, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Yeon Paik
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Yejin Lee
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - David Siegel
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - David Ross
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Byung Woo Han
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Thi Kim Yen Nguyen
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Hyoung Jin Kang
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - Mario Dicato
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire du Cancer, BAM3 Pavillon 2, 6A Rue Nicolas-Ernest Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Marc Diederich
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
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Zhu H, Lu L, Zhu W, Tan Y, Duan Y, Liu J, Ye W, Zhu Z, Xu J, Xu S. Design and synthesis of NAD(P)H: Quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1)-activated prodrugs of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid with enhanced antitumor properties. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 240:114575. [PMID: 35803175 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A series of NQO1 selectively activated prodrugs were designed and synthesized by introducing indolequinone moiety to the C-3, C-23 or C-28 position of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid (23-HBA) and its analogues. Among them, the representative compound 32j exhibited significant antiproliferative activities against NQO1-overexpressing HT-29 cells and A549 cells, with IC50 values of 1.87 and 2.36 μM, respectively, which were 20-30-fold more potent than those of parent compound 23-HBA. More importantly, it was demonstrated in the in vivo antitumor experiment that 32j effectively suppressed the tumor volume and largely reduced tumor weight by 72.69% with no apparent toxicity, which was more potent than the positive control 5-fluorouracil. This is the first breakthrough in the improvement of in vivo antitumor activities of 23-HBA derivatives. The further molecular mechanism study revealed that 32j blocked cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, induced cell apoptosis, depolarized mitochondria and elevated the intracellular ROS levels in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis indicated that 32j induced cell apoptosis by interfering with the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. These findings suggest that compound 32j could be considered as a potent antitumor prodrug candidate which deserves to be further investigated for personalized cancer therapy.
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Wang WY, Wu WY, Li AL, Liu QS, Sun Y, Gu W. Synthesis, anticancer evaluation and mechanism studies of novel indolequinone derivatives of ursolic acid. Bioorg Chem 2021; 109:104705. [PMID: 33618252 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A series of novel indolequinone derivatives of ursolic acid bearing ester, hydrazide, or amide moieties were designed, synthesized, and screened for their in vitro antiproliferative activities against three cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HeLa, and HepG2) and a normal gastric mucosal cell line (Ges-1). A number of compounds showed significant activity against tested cancer cell lines. Among them, compound 6t exhibited the most potent activity against three cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 1.66 ± 0.21, 3.16 ± 0.24, and 10.35 ± 1.63 µM, respectively, and considerably lower cytotoxicity to Ges-1 cells. Especially, compound 6t could arrest cell cycle at S phase, suppress the migration of MCF-7 cells, elevate intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and decrease mitochondrial membrane potential. Western blot analysis showed that compound 6t upregulated Bax, cleaved caspase-3/9, cleaved PARP levels and downregulated Bcl-2 level of MCF-7 cells. All these results indicated that compound 6t could significantly induce the apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. Meanwhile, compound 6t markedly decreased p-AKT and p-mTOR expression, which revealed that compound 6t probably exerted its cytotoxicity through targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Therefore, compound 6t could be a promising lead for the discovery of novel anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Yan Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Co-Inovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Products, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, PR China
| | - Wen-Yi Wu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Co-Inovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Products, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, PR China
| | - A-Liang Li
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Co-Inovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Products, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, PR China
| | - Qing-Song Liu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Co-Inovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Products, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, PR China
| | - Yue Sun
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Co-Inovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Products, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, PR China
| | - Wen Gu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Co-Inovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Products, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, PR China.
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Abdullah NA, Inman M, Moody CJ, Storr SJ, Martin SG. Cytotoxic and radiosensitising effects of a novel thioredoxin reductase inhibitor in breast cancer. Invest New Drugs 2021; 39:1232-1241. [PMID: 33768386 PMCID: PMC8426295 DOI: 10.1007/s10637-021-01106-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Radiotherapy is an effective treatment modality for breast cancer but, unfortunately, not all patients respond fully with a significant number experiencing local recurrences. Overexpression of thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase has been reported to cause multidrug and radiation resistance - their inhibition may therefore improve therapeutic efficacy. Novel indolequinone compounds have been shown, in pancreatic cancer models, to inhibit thioredoxin reductase activity and exhibit potent anticancer activity. The present study evaluates, using in vitro breast cancer models, the efficacy of a novel indolequinone compound (IQ9) as a single agent and in combination with ionising radiation using a variety of endpoint assays including cell proliferation, clonogenic survival, enzyme activity, and western blotting. Three triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and MDA-MB-436) and two luminal (MCF-7 and T47D) breast cancer cell lines were used. Results show that treatment with IQ9 significantly inhibited thioredoxin reductase activity, and inhibited cell growth and colony formation of breast cancer cells with IC50 values in the low micromolar ranges. Enhanced radiosensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer cells was observed, with sensitiser enhancement ratios of 1.20–1.43, but with no evident radiosensitisation of luminal breast cancer cell lines. IQ9 upregulated protein expression of thioredoxin reductase in luminal but not in triple-negative breast cancer cells which may explain the observed differential radiosensitisation. This study provides important evidence of the roles of the thioredoxin system as an exploitable radiobiological target in breast cancer cells and highlights the potential therapeutic value of indolequinones as radiosensitisers. ***This study was not part of a clinical trial. Clinical trial registration number: N/A
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurul A Abdullah
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Present address: Biomedical Science Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Martyn Inman
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Christopher J Moody
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Sarah J Storr
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Stewart G Martin
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
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