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Shen M, Fu J, Zhang Y, Chang Y, Li X, Cheng H, Qiu Y, Shao M, Han Y, Zhou Y, Luo Z. A novel senolytic drug for pulmonary fibrosis: BTSA1 targets apoptosis of senescent myofibroblasts by activating BAX. Aging Cell 2024:e14229. [PMID: 38831635 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14229] [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: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and age-related disease that results from impaired lung repair following injury. Targeting senescent myofibroblasts with senolytic drugs attenuates pulmonary fibrosis, revealing a detrimental role of these cells in pulmonary fibrosis. The mechanisms underlying the occurrence and persistence of senescent myofibroblasts in fibrotic lung tissue require further clarification. In this study, we demonstrated that senescent myofibroblasts are resistant to apoptosis by upregulating the proapoptotic protein BAX and antiapoptotic protein BCL-2 and BCL-XL, leading to BAX inactivation. We further showed that high levels of inactive BAX-mediated minority mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (minority MOMP) promoted DNA damage and myofibroblasts senescence after insult by a sublethal stimulus. Intervention of minority MOMP via the inhibition of caspase activity by quinolyl-valyl-O-methylaspartyl-[2,6-difluorophenoxy]-methyl ketone (QVD-OPH) or BAX knockdown significantly reduced DNA damage and ultimately delayed the progression of senescence. Moreover, the BAX activator BTSA1 selectively promoted the apoptosis of senescent myofibroblasts, as BTSA1-activated BAX converted minority MOMP to complete MOMP while not injuring other cells with low levels of BAX. Furthermore, therapeutic activation of BAX with BTSA1 effectively reduced the number of senescent myofibroblasts in the lung tissue and alleviated both reversible and irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. These findings advance the understanding of apoptosis resistance and cellular senescence mechanisms in senescent myofibroblasts in pulmonary fibrosis and demonstrate a novel senolytic drug for pulmonary fibrosis treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxia Shen
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jiafeng Fu
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yunna Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yanfen Chang
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaohong Li
- Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Haipeng Cheng
- Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yujia Qiu
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Min Shao
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yang Han
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Ziqiang Luo
- Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Organ Fibrosis, Changsha, China
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Zhang Z, Hou L, Liu D, Luan S, Huang M, Zhao L. Directly targeting BAX for drug discovery: Therapeutic opportunities and challenges. Acta Pharm Sin B 2024; 14:2378-2401. [PMID: 38828138 PMCID: PMC11143528 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2024.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
For over two decades, the development of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family therapeutics has primarily focused on anti-apoptotic proteins, resulting in the first-in-class drugs called BH3 mimetics, especially for Bcl-2 inhibitor Venetoclax. The pro-apoptotic protein Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX) plays a crucial role as the executioner protein of the mitochondrial regulated cell death, contributing to organismal development, tissue homeostasis, and immunity. The dysregulation of BAX is closely associated with the onset and progression of diseases characterized by pathologic cell survival or death, such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and heart failure. In addition to conducting thorough investigations into the physiological modulation of BAX, research on the regulatory mechanisms of small molecules identified through biochemical screening approaches has prompted the identification of functional and potentially druggable binding sites on BAX, as well as diverse all-molecule BAX modulators. This review presents recent advancements in elucidating the physiological and pharmacological modulation of BAX and in identifying potentially druggable binding sites on BAX. Furthermore, it highlights the structural and mechanistic insights into small-molecule modulators targeting diverse binding surfaces or conformations of BAX, offering a promising avenue for developing next-generation apoptosis modulators to treat a wide range of diseases associated with dysregulated cell death by directly targeting BAX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drugs Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Linghui Hou
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drugs Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Dan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drugs Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Shenglin Luan
- China Resources Sanjiu Medical & Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Min Huang
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drugs Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Linxiang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drugs Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China
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Zhang M, Zhang X, Huang S, Cao Y, Guo Y, Xu L. Programmed nanocarrier loaded with paclitaxel and dual-siRNA to reverse chemoresistance by synergistic therapy. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 261:129726. [PMID: 38290632 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Paclitaxel (PTX) is commonly used in clinical tumor therapy. However, chemoresistance and the inducement of tumor metastasis severely affect the efficacy of PTX. To develop a treatment strategy to reverse chemoresistance, the co-delivery of PTX and small interfering RNA with nanocarriers were programmed in this study. The carrier we have programmed exhibits excellent safety, stability, and delivery efficiency for co-delivery of siRNA and PTX. After rapid release of siRNA, PTX could be released within 72 h. The siBcl-xL and siMcl-1 inhibited cell migration decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced the release of reactive oxygen species while synergistically functioning with the antineoplastic effects of PTX. Our strategy reduced IC50 values by 2-5-fold in different cell lines, and the results of flow cytometry confirmed increased apoptosis rates and effectively inhibited cell migration. Synergistic therapy effectively reversed chemoresistance in PTX-resistant breast cancer cells. Similarly, the synergistic administration strategy showed significant sensitizing effects in vivo. Our study demonstrates the combined application of multiple synergistic antitumor administration strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingming Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China
| | - Sijun Huang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China
| | - Yueming Cao
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China
| | - Yi Guo
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China.
| | - Li Xu
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China.
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Huang Y, Huang S, Wei W, Wu Y, Jia L, Du Y, Luo P, Pan W. Design, synthesis and anticancer evaluation of novel half-sandwich Ru(II) complexes bearing pyrazalone moiety: Apoptosis inducers based on mitochondrial dysfunction and G0/G1 arrest. J Inorg Biochem 2024; 250:112421. [PMID: 37922609 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2023.112421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Six half-sandwich Ru(II) complexes (Ru1-Ru6), integrated with 5-phenyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one (PDPO1-PDPO6) ligands, were synthesized and spectroscopically characterized. The structure of Ru3 that crystallized as a monoclinic crystal with P21/c space group was further confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction. Prototropic tautomerism within the complexes transformed OH-form ligands to NH-form, forming a hydrogen bond (Cl1---H-N3). The complexes and ligands' cytotoxicity was assessed against several cancerous (HepG2, A549, MCF-7) and normal Vero cell lines. Relative to the ligands and Cisplatin, complexes (Ru2, Ru3, Ru5, Ru6) exhibited potent cytotoxicity against cancer cells, with IC50 values from 2.05 to 15.69 μM/L, excluding Ru1 and Ru4. Specifically, Ru2, Ru3, and Ru5 demonstrated superior anti-HepG2 properties. Compared to Cisplatin, Ru2 and Ru5 were less toxic to Vero cells, highlighting their enhanced selectivity in toxicity. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies indicated that t-butyl substitution (in Ru2) or -Cl (in Ru5) on the benzene ring significantly improved the selective toxicity. These complexes manifested substantial lipophilicity, cellular uptake, and were quickly hydrolyzed to Ru-H2O species. Roughly positive correlations were observed between hydrolysis rate, lipophilicity, cellular uptake, and anticancer activities. Ru2, investigated specifically, induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells at concentrations of 10 and 20 μM/L through ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and G0/G1phase arrest, associated with altered P21, cyclin D, and CDK4 expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhou Huang
- Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530001, China; Collage of chemical and chemistry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Shaoling Huang
- Guangxi Research Institute of Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Nanning 530001, China
| | - Wanxing Wei
- Collage of chemical and chemistry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yanchun Wu
- Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530001, China
| | - Limei Jia
- Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530001, China
| | - Yijia Du
- Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530001, China
| | - Peng Luo
- Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530001, China.
| | - Weigao Pan
- Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530001, China.
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