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International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2022Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor. Recently, agents increasing the level of oxidative stress have been proposed as anticancer drugs. However,...
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor. Recently, agents increasing the level of oxidative stress have been proposed as anticancer drugs. However, their efficacy may be lowered by the cytoprotective activity of antioxidant enzymes, often upregulated in neoplastic cells. Here, we assessed the mRNA and protein expression of thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1), a master regulator of cellular redox homeostasis, in GBM and non-tumor brain tissues. Next, we examined the influence of an inhibitor of TrxR1, auranofin (AF), alone or in combination with a prooxidant menadione (MEN), on growth of GBM cell lines, patient-derived GBM cells and normal human astrocytes. We detected considerable amount of TrxR1 in the majority of GBM tissues. Treatment with AF decreased viability of GBM cells and their potential to form colonies and neurospheres. Moreover, it increased the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pre-treatment with ROS scavenger prevented the AF-induced cell death, pointing to the important role of ROS in the reduction of cell viability. The cytotoxic effect of AF was potentiated by treatment with MEN. In conclusion, our results identify TrxR1 as an attractive drug target and highlights AF as an off-patent drug candidate in GBM therapy.
Topics: Humans; Vitamin K 3; Reactive Oxygen Species; Auranofin; Glioblastoma; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Death; Thioredoxin Reductase 1; Cell Survival
PubMed: 36555352
DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415712 -
Seminars in Radiation Oncology Jan 2019Dysregulated glucose and redox metabolism are near universal features of cancers. They therefore represent potential selectively toxic metabolic targets. This review... (Review)
Review
Dysregulated glucose and redox metabolism are near universal features of cancers. They therefore represent potential selectively toxic metabolic targets. This review outlines the preclinical and clinical data for targeting glucose and hydroperoxide metabolism in cancer, with a focus on drug strategies that have the most available evidence. In particular, inhibition of glycolysis using 2-deoxyglucose, and inhibition of redox metabolism using the glutathione pathway inhibitor buthionine sulfoximine and the thioredoxin pathway inhibitor auranofin, have shown promise in preclinical studies to increase sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiation by increasing intracellular oxidative stress. Combined inhibition of glycolysis, glutathione, and thioredoxin pathways sensitizes highly glycolytic, radioresistant cancer models in vitro and in vivo. Although the preclinical data support this approach, clinical data are limited to exploratory trials using a single drug in combination with either chemotherapy or radiation. Open research questions include optimizing drug strategies for targeting glycolysis and redox metabolism, determining the appropriate timing for administering this therapy with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation, and identifying biomarkers to determine the cancers that would benefit most from this approach. Given the quality of preclinical evidence, dual targeting of glycolysis and redox metabolism in combination with chemotherapy and radiation should be further evaluated in clinical trials.
Topics: Animals; Auranofin; Buthionine Sulfoximine; Deoxyglucose; Glucose; Glycolysis; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide; Neoplasms; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxidative Stress; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents
PubMed: 30573182
DOI: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2018.10.007 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2021Auranofin is an FDA-approved disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been used for decades for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This gold(I) compound has... (Review)
Review
Auranofin is an FDA-approved disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been used for decades for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This gold(I) compound has anti-inflammatory properties because it reduces IL-6 expression inhibition of the NF-κB-IL-6-STAT3 signaling pathway. Also, by inhibiting redox enzymes such as thioredoxin reductase, auranofin increases cellular oxidative stress and promotes apoptosis. Auranofin also possesses antiviral properties. Recently, it was reported that auranofin reduced by 95% SARS-CoV-2 RNA in infected human cells and decreased SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine expression, including IL-6. During SARS-CoV-2 infection, a cytokine storm involving IL-6 increases severity of illness and worsens prognosis. Therefore, auranofin could, in our point of view, reduce pathology due to SARS-CoV-2-induced IL-6. COVID-19 is a rapidly-evolving respiratory disease now distributed worldwide. Strikingly high numbers of new COVID-19 cases are reported daily. We have begun a race to vaccinate people, but due to the complex logistics of this effort, the virus will continue to spread before all humans can be immunized, and new variants that may be less well contained by current vaccines are of concern. The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health care systems and new treatments to reduce mortality are urgently needed. We encourage to further evaluate the potential of auranofin in the treatment of COVID-19 and in animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection and, if preliminary data are promising, in clinical trials with COVID-19 patients. In our opinion, auranofin has the potential to become a valuable addition to available therapies in this pandemic.
Topics: Antirheumatic Agents; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Auranofin; Cytokine Release Syndrome; Drug Approval; Humans; Interleukin-6; SARS-CoV-2; Thioredoxins; COVID-19 Drug Treatment
PubMed: 34630379
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.683694 -
Cancer Research Apr 2021is amplified in 20% to 25% of neuroblastoma, and -amplified neuroblastoma contributes to a large percent of pediatric cancer-related deaths. Therapy improvements for...
is amplified in 20% to 25% of neuroblastoma, and -amplified neuroblastoma contributes to a large percent of pediatric cancer-related deaths. Therapy improvements for this subtype of cancer are a high priority. Here we uncover a MYCN-dependent therapeutic vulnerability in neuroblastoma. Namely, amplified rewires the cell through expression of key receptors, ultimately enhancing iron influx through increased expression of the iron import transferrin receptor 1. Accumulating iron causes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and -amplified neuroblastomas show enhanced reliance on the system Xc- cystine/glutamate antiporter for ROS detoxification through increased transcription of this receptor. This dependence creates a marked vulnerability to targeting the system Xc-/glutathione (GSH) pathway with ferroptosis inducers. This reliance can be exploited through therapy with FDA-approved rheumatoid arthritis drugs sulfasalazine (SAS) and auranofin: in -amplified, patient-derived xenograft models, both therapies blocked growth and induced ferroptosis. SAS and auranofin activity was largely mitigated by the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1, antioxidants like N-acetyl-L-cysteine, or by the iron scavenger deferoxamine (DFO). DFO reduced auranofin-induced ROS, further linking increased iron capture in -amplified neuroblastoma to a therapeutic vulnerability to ROS-inducing drugs. These data uncover an oncogene vulnerability to ferroptosis caused by increased iron accumulation and subsequent reliance on the system Xc-/GSH pathway. SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows how MYCN increases intracellular iron levels and subsequent GSH pathway activity and demonstrates the antitumor activity of FDA-approved SAS and auranofin in patient-derived xenograft models of -amplified neuroblastoma.
Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Auranofin; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Child; Enzyme Inhibitors; Ferroptosis; Gene Amplification; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Glutathione; Humans; Iron; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Mice, Transgenic; N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein; Neuroblastoma; Oxazoles; Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase; Piperazines; Sulfasalazine; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
PubMed: 33483374
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-1641 -
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity May 2023Pain transmission and processing in the nervous system are modulated by various biologically active substances, including lysophospholipids, through direct and indirect...
Pain transmission and processing in the nervous system are modulated by various biologically active substances, including lysophospholipids, through direct and indirect actions on the somatosensory pathway. Lysophosphatidylglucoside (LysoPtdGlc) was recently identified as a structurally unique lysophospholipid that exerts biological actions via the G protein-coupled receptor GPR55. Here, we demonstrated that GPR55-knockout (KO) mice show impaired induction of mechanical pain hypersensitivity in a model of spinal cord compression (SCC) without the same change in the models of peripheral tissue inflammation and peripheral nerve injury. Among these models, only SCC recruited peripheral inflammatory cells (neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and CD3 T-cells) in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH), and GPR55-KO blunted these recruitments. Neutrophils were the first cells recruited to the SDH, and their depletion suppressed the induction of SCC-induced mechanical hypersensitivity and inflammatory responses in compressed SDH. Furthermore, we found that PtdGlc was present in the SDH and that intrathecal administration of an inhibitor of secretory phospholipase A (an enzyme required for producing LysoPtdGlc from PtdGlc) reduced neutrophil recruitment to compressed SDH and suppressed pain induction. Finally, by screening compounds from a chemical library, we identified auranofin as a clinically used drug with an inhibitory effect on mouse and human GPR55. Systemically administered auranofin to mice with SCC effectively suppressed spinal neutrophil infiltration and pain hypersensitivity. These results suggest that GPR55 signaling contributes to the induction of inflammatory responses and chronic pain after SCC via the recruitment of neutrophils and may provide a new target for reducing pain induction after spinal cord compression, such as spinal canal stenosis.
Topics: Humans; Mice; Animals; Neutrophil Infiltration; Spinal Cord Compression; Auranofin; Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn; Chronic Pain; Spinal Cord; Receptors, Cannabinoid
PubMed: 36898418
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.03.008 -
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... Dec 2017
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Auranofin; Bacteria; Bacterial Infections; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 28716566
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.07.022 -
Brain Research Jul 2024Alzherimer's disease (AD) is an age-dependent ubiquitous ailment worldwide with limited therapies that only alleviate the symptoms of AD but do not cure them entirely...
Alzherimer's disease (AD) is an age-dependent ubiquitous ailment worldwide with limited therapies that only alleviate the symptoms of AD but do not cure them entirely because of the restricted blood-brain barrier passage of the drug. Hence with new advanced technology, nanoparticles can offer an opportunity as the active candidate to overcome the above limitations. Aurothioglucose, a synthetic glucose derivative of the gold compound, has been clinically proven to be an effective anti-inflammatory drug for rheumatic arthritis. Recently, several scientific groups have developed gold nanoparticle preparations and tested them for the treatment of dementia. This study was planned to prepare the PLGA nanoparticles of aurothioglucose (ATG) and check the neuroprotective potential against STZ-induced AD in rats. The nanoparticles were prepared using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method and characterized for various parameters such as drug-excipient interaction, particle size, zeta potential, and morphology. Then, rats were injected STZ (3 mg/kg/i.c.v., days 1 and 3) and ATG (5 and 10 mg/kg/s.c.), ATG NPs (2.5 and 5 mg/kg/s.c.) and donepezil (2 mg/kg/p.o) from 15th to 29th day. Behavior parameters were performed using an actophotometer, MWM, and ORT. On the 30th day, all the animals were sacrificed, and the brains were isolated for estimating biochemical, neurochemical, and proinflammatory markers. It was observed that ATG NPs significantly restored all behavior and neurotransmitter alterations caused by STZ. Also, it increased antioxidant levels and decreased inflammatory cytokines significantly, then ATG alone. Thus, the study suggests that ATG loaded PLGA NPs could be used as a novel therapeutic strategy to slow the process of AD.
Topics: Animals; Alzheimer Disease; Rats; Neuroprotective Agents; Streptozocin; Male; Nanoparticles; Rats, Wistar; Neuroprotection; Disease Models, Animal; Brain
PubMed: 38570152
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148906 -
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2022Auranofin (AF), a gold(I) compound that is currently used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and is in clinical trials for its promising anticancer activity, was...
Auranofin (AF), a gold(I) compound that is currently used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and is in clinical trials for its promising anticancer activity, was encapsulated within the human H-chain and the horse spleen ferritin nanocages using the alkaline disassembly/reassembly protocol. The aim of the work was to highlight possible differences in their drug loading capacity and efficacy. The drug-loaded ferritins were characterized via UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy to assess AF encapsulation and to define the exact amount of gold atoms trapped in the Ft cavity. The crystal structures allowed us to define the nature of AF interaction with both ferritins and to identify the gold binding sites. Moreover, the biological characterization let us to obtain preliminary information on the cytotoxic effect of AF when bound to the human H-chain.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Antineoplastic Agents; Auranofin; Binding Sites; Ferritins; Gold; Horses; Nanoparticle Drug Delivery System
PubMed: 36430642
DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214162 -
Protein and Peptide Letters 2023It has been reported that activation of glutamate kainate receptor subunit 2 (GluK2) subunit-containing glutamate receptors and the following Fas ligand(FasL)...
BACKGROUND
It has been reported that activation of glutamate kainate receptor subunit 2 (GluK2) subunit-containing glutamate receptors and the following Fas ligand(FasL) up-regulation, caspase-3 activation, result in delayed apoptosis-like neuronal death in hippocampus CA1 subfield after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Nitric oxide-mediated S-nitrosylation might inhibit the procaspase activation, whereas denitrosylation might contribute to cleavage and activation of procaspases.
OBJECTIVES
The study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying procaspase-3 denitrosylation and activation following kainic acid (KA)-induced excitotoxicity in rat hippocampus.
METHODS
S-nitrosylation of procaspase-3 was detected by biotin-switch method. Activation of procaspase-3 was shown as cleavage of procaspase-3 detected by immunoblotting. FasL expression was detected by immunoblotting. Cresyl violets and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) staining were used to detect apoptosis-like neuronal death in rat hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subfields.
RESULTS
KA led to the activation of procaspase-3 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and the activation was inhibited by KA receptor antagonist NS102. Procaspase-3 was denitrosylated at 3 h after kainic acid administration, and the denitrosylation was reversed by SNP and GSNO. FasL ASODNs inhibited the procaspase-3 denitrosylation and activation. Moreover, thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) inhibitor auranofin prevented the denitrosylation and activation of procaspase-3 in rat hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subfields. NS102, FasL AS-ODNs, and auranofin reversed the KAinduced apoptosis and cell death in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subfields.
CONCLUSIONS
KA led to denitrosylation and activation of procaspase-3 via FasL and TrxR. Inhibition of procaspase-3 denitrosylation by auranofin, SNP, and GSNO played protective effects against KA-induced apoptosis-like neuronal death in rat hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subfields. These investigations revealed that the procaspase-3 undergoes an initial denitrosylation process before becoming activated, providing valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms and possible treatment of excitotoxicity.
Topics: Rats; Animals; Kainic Acid; Caspase 3; Auranofin; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Hippocampus
PubMed: 37921157
DOI: 10.2174/0109298665261164231019043521 -
Molecular Therapy : the Journal of the... Mar 2023Approximately 50%-55% of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) patients have MYC oncogenic pathway activation. Because MYC is not directly targetable, we have...
Approximately 50%-55% of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) patients have MYC oncogenic pathway activation. Because MYC is not directly targetable, we have analyzed molecular pathways enriched in MYC-high HGSOC tumors to identify potential therapeutic targets. Here, we report that MYC-high HGSOC tumors show enrichment in genes controlled by NRF2, an antioxidant signaling pathway, along with increased thioredoxin redox activity. Treatment of MYC-high HGSOC tumors cells with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) inhibitor auranofin resulted in significant growth suppression and apoptosis in MYC-high HGSOC cells in vitro and also significantly reduced tumor growth in an MYC-high HGSOC patient-derived tumor xenograft. We found that auranofin treatment inhibited glycolysis in MYC-high cells via oxidation-induced GAPDH inhibition. Interestingly, in response to auranofin-induced glycolysis inhibition, MYC-high HGSOC cells switched to glutamine metabolism for survival. Depletion of glutamine with either glutamine starvation or glutaminase (GLS1) inhibitor CB-839 exerted synergistic anti-tumor activity with auranofin in HGSOC cells and OVCAR-8 cell line xenograft. These findings suggest that applying a combined therapy of GLS1 inhibitor and TrxR1 inhibitor could effectively treat MYC-high HGSOC patients.
Topics: Female; Humans; Auranofin; Cell Line, Tumor; Genes, myc; Glutaminase; Glutamine; Ovarian Neoplasms; Thioredoxin-Disulfide Reductase; Thioredoxins
PubMed: 36560881
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.12.011