FV-429 induces apoptosis by regulating nuclear translocation of PKM2 in pancreatic cancer cells

Of all malignancies, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), constituting 90% of pancreatic cancers, has the worst prognosis. Glycolysis is overactive in PDAC patients and is associated with poor prognosis. Drugs that inhibit glycolysis as well as induce cell death need to be identified. However, glycolysis inhibitors often fail to induce cell death. We here found that FV-429, a derivative of the natural flavonoid wogonin, can induce mitochondrial apoptosis and inhibit glycolysis in PDAC in vivo and in vitro. In vitro, FV-429 inhibited intracellular ATP content, glucose uptake, and lactate generation, consequently leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in PDAC cells. Furthermore, it decreased the expression of PKM2 (a specific form of pyruvate kinase) through the ERK signaling pathway and enhanced PKM2 nuclear translocation. TEPP-46, the activator of PKM2, reversed FV-429-induced glycolysis inhibition and mitochondrial apoptosis in the PDAC cells. In addition, FV-429 exhibited significant tumor suppressor activity and high safety in BxPC-3 cell xenotransplantation models. These results thus demonstrated that FV-429 decreases PKM2 expression through the ERK signaling pathway and enhances PKM2 nuclear translocation, thereby resulting in glycolysis inhibition and mitochondrial apoptosis in PDAC in vitro and in vivo, which makes FV-429 a promising candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment.

FV-429 enhances the efficacy of paclitaxel in NSCLC by reprogramming HIF-1α-modulated FattyAcid metabolism

Solid tumors often exhibit hypoxia in their centers, which has been associated with a marked reduction in the sensitivity of the tumor cells to anti-tumor and chemotherapeutic interventions. Here, we found that the occurrence and progress of hypoxic insensitivity to paclitaxel in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are closely associated with the HIF-1α pathway. The HIF-1α protein upregulated the expression of adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1(SREBP1), while simultaneously downregulating carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), thereby leading to a more pronounced uptake of lipids and reduced oxidation of fatty acids. Diminished levels of fatty acids led to reduced Wnt pathway activation and β-catenin nuclear translocation, leading to G2/M cell cycle arrest. In this study, FV-429, a derivative of the natural flavonoid wogonin, reprogrammed metabolism of cancer cells and decreased fatty acid levels. Moreover, paclitaxel-induced G2/M phase arrest in hypoxia-resistant NSCLC was hampered but FV-429 improved the sensitivity of these cancer cells to paclitaxel. FV-429 activated and modulated fatty acid metabolism in NSCLC cells, significantly reduced levels of fatty acids within cells and increased the oxidation of these fatty acids. The results of our study demonstrated that FV-429 could reshape fatty acid metabolism in hypoxia-induced paclitaxel-resistant NSCLC and enhance the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to paclitaxel through G2/M phase arrest deterioration, by inactivating the Wnt pathway, and suggested the possibility of using FV-429 as a promising candidate therapeutic agent for advanced NSCLC.

Glycolysis inhibition and apoptosis induction in human prostate cancer cells by FV-429-mediated regulation of AR-AKT-HK2 signaling network

Prostate cancer (PCa) depends on androgen receptor (AR) signaling to regulate cell metabolism, including glycolysis, and thereby promotes tumor growth. Glycolysis is overactive in PCa and associated with poor prognosis, but the therapeutic efficacy of glycolysis inhibitors has thus far been limited by their inability to induce cell death. FV-429, a flavonoid derivative of Wogonin, is a glycolysis inhibitor that has shown anti-cancer promise. In this study, we used FV-429 as an anti-PCa agent and investigated its mechanisms of action. In vitro, both the glycolytic ability and the viability of PCa cells were inhibited by FV-429. We found that FV-429 could induce mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, with AKT-HK2 signaling pathway playing a key role. In addition, FV-429 had a pro-apoptotic effect on human prostate cancer cells that relied on the inhibition of AR expression and activity. In vivo, FV-429 exerted significant tumor-repressing activity with high safety in the xenograft model using LNCaP cells. In summary, we demonstrated that FV-429 induced glycolysis inhibition and apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells by downregulating the AR-AKT-HK2 signaling network, making FV-429 a promising candidate as one therapeutic agent for advanced PCa.

FV-429 induces apoptosis and inhibits glycolysis by inhibiting Akt-mediated phosphorylation of hexokinase II in MDA-MB-231 cells

In this study, the anticancer effect of a newly synthesized flavonoid FV-429, against human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, and the underlying mechanisms were investigated. FV-429 triggered the apoptosis and simultaneously inhibited the glycolysis of MDA-MB-231 cells. Both the HK II activity and its level in mitochondria were significantly down regulated by FV-429. Moreover, FV-429 weakened the interaction between HKII and VDAC, stimulated the detachment of HK II from the mitochondria, and resulted in the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pores. Thus FV-429 induced the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, showing increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and activation of caspase-3 and -9, cytochrome c (Cyt c) release, and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) transposition. Further research revealed that the phosphorylation of mitochondrial HKII via Akt was responsible for the dissociation of HKII and the decreased HKII activity induced by FV-429. Taken together, FV-429 inhibited the phosphorylation of HKII, down-regulated its activity, and stimulated the release of HKII from the mitochondria, resulting the inhibited glycolysis and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. The studies provide a molecular basis for the development of flavonoid compounds as novel anticancer agents for breast cancer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.