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Chang CS, Bai LY, Chiu CF, Hu JL, Weng JR. Discovery of the tryptanthrin-derived indoloquinazoline as an anti-breast cancer agent via ERK/JNK activation. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2024; 39:3710-3720. [PMID: 38511855 DOI: 10.1002/tox.24226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Tryptanthrin, an alkaloid applied in traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities. This study aimed to investigate the anti-tumor activity of the tryptanthrin derivative (8-cyanoindolo[2,1-b]quinazoline-6,12-dione [CIQ]) in breast cancer cells. In both MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, CIQ inhibited cell viability and promoted caspase-dependent apoptosis. At the concentration- and time-dependent ways, CIQ increased the levels of p-ERK, p-JNK, and p-p38 in breast cancer cells. We found that exposure to the JNK inhibitor or the ERK inhibitor partially reversed CIQ's viability. We also observed that CIQ increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and upregulated the phosphorylation and expression of H2AX. However, the pretreatment of the antioxidants did not protect the cells against CIQ's effects on cell viability and apoptosis, which suggested that ROS does not play a major role in the mechanism of action of CIQ. In addition, CIQ inhibited the invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells and decreased the expression of the prometastatic factors (MMP-2 and Snail). These findings demonstrated that the possibility of this compound to show promise in playing an important role against breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Li-Yuan Bai
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
- College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Fang Chiu
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
- Cancer Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Lan Hu
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Ru Weng
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Master Degree Program in Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Weng JR, Gopula B, Chu PC, Hu JL, Feng CH. A PKM2 inhibitor induces apoptosis and autophagy through JAK2 in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Chem Biol Interact 2023; 380:110538. [PMID: 37164279 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is involved in glycolysis, which plays an important role in the regulation of tumor progression. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor activity of N-(4-(3-(3-(methylamino)-3-oxopropyl)-5-(4'-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenyl)propiolamide (MTP), a PKM2 inhibitor, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. Our results showed that MTP inhibited cell growth with IC50 values of 0.59 μM and 0.78 μM in SCC2095 and HSC3 OSCC cells, respectively. MTP induced caspase-dependent apoptosis, which was associated with the modulation of PKM2 and oncogenic biomarkers epidermal growth factor receptor and β-catenin. In addition, MTP increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and modulated the expression of autophagic gene products, including LC3B-II and p62. Western blotting showed that MTP inhibited Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) signaling, and JAK2 overexpression partially reversed MTP-mediated cytotoxicity. Taken together, these data indicate the potential use of MTP as a therapeutic agent for OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Ru Weng
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11042, Taiwan.
| | - Balraj Gopula
- Drug Development Center, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan; Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Po-Chen Chu
- Department of Cosmeceutics and Graduate Institute of Cosmeceutics, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Lan Hu
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hsien Feng
- Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan
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