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Cosottini L, Geri A, Ghini V, Mannelli M, Zineddu S, Di Paco G, Giachetti A, Massai L, Severi M, Gamberi T, Rosato A, Turano P, Messori L. Unlocking the Power of Human Ferritin: Enhanced Drug Delivery of Aurothiomalate in A2780 Ovarian Cancer Cells. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024:e202410791. [PMID: 38949226 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202410791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Aurothiomalate (AuTM) is an FDA-approved antiarthritic gold drug with unique anticancer properties. To enhance its anticancer activity, we prepared a bioconjugate with human apoferritin (HuHf) by attaching some AuTM moieties to surface protein residues. The reaction of apoferritin with excess AuTM yielded a single adduct, that was characterized by ESI MS and ICP-OES analysis, using three mutant ferritins and trypsinization experiments. The adduct contains ~3 gold atoms per ferritin subunit, arranged in a small cluster bound to Cys90 and Cys102. MD simulations provided a plausible structural model for the cluster. The adduct was evaluated for its pharmacological properties and was found to be significantly more cytotoxic than free AuTM against A2780 cancer cells mainly due to higher gold uptake. NMR-metabolomics showed that AuTM bound to HuHf and free AuTM induced qualitatively similar changes in treated cancer cells, indicating that the effects on cell metabolism are approximately the same, in agreement with independent biochemical experiments. In conclusion, we have demonstrated here that a molecularly precise bioconjugate formed between AuTM and HuHf exhibits anticancer properties far superior to the free drug, while retaining its key mechanistic features. Evidence is provided that human ferritin can serve as an excellent carrier for this metallodrug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucrezia Cosottini
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Andrea Geri
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Veronica Ghini
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Michele Mannelli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Stefano Zineddu
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Giorgio Di Paco
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Andrea Giachetti
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Risonanze Magnetiche di Metallo Proteine (CIRMMP), 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Lara Massai
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Mirko Severi
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Tania Gamberi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Antonio Rosato
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
- Magnetic Resonance Center, University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Paola Turano
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
- Magnetic Resonance Center, University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Luigi Messori
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
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Ghini V, Sorbi F, Fambrini M, Magherini F. NMR Metabolomics of Primary Ovarian Cancer Cells in Comparison to Established Cisplatin-Resistant and -Sensitive Cell Lines. Cells 2024; 13:661. [PMID: 38667276 PMCID: PMC11049548 DOI: 10.3390/cells13080661] [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: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer cell lines are frequently used in metabolomics, such as in vitro tumor models. In particular, A2780 cells are commonly used as a model for ovarian cancer to evaluate the effects of drug treatment. Here, we compare the NMR metabolomics profiles of A2780 and cisplatin-resistant A2780 cells with those of cells derived from 10 patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (collected during primary cytoreduction before any chemotherapeutic treatment). Our analysis reveals a substantial similarity among all primary cells but significant differences between them and both A2780 and cisplatin-resistant A2780 cells. Notably, the patient-derived cells are closer to the resistant A2780 cells when considering the exo-metabolome, whereas they are essentially equidistant from A2780 and A2780-resistant cells in terms of the endo-metabolome. This behavior results from dissimilarities in the levels of several metabolites attributable to the differential modulation of underlying biochemical pathways. The patient-derived cells are those with the most pronounced glycolytic phenotype, whereas A2780-resistant cells mainly diverge from the others due to alterations in a few specific metabolites already known as markers of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Ghini
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM), University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Flavia Sorbi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (F.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Massimiliano Fambrini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (F.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Francesca Magherini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (F.S.); (M.F.)
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Shimshoni E, Solomonov I, Sagi I, Ghini V. Integrated Metabolomics and Proteomics of Symptomatic and Early Presymptomatic States of Colitis. J Proteome Res 2024; 23:1420-1432. [PMID: 38497760 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00860] [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] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Colitis has a multifactorial pathogenesis with a strong cross-talk among microbiota, hypoxia, and tissue metabolism. Here, we aimed to characterize the molecular signature of the disease in symptomatic and presymptomatic stages of the inflammatory process at the tissue and fecal level. The study is based on two different murine models for colitis, and HR-MAS NMR on "intact" colon tissues and LC-MS/MS on colon tissue extracts were used to derive untargeted metabolomics and proteomics information, respectively. Solution NMR was used to derive metabolomic profiles of the fecal extracts. By combining metabolomic and proteomic analyses of the tissues, we found increased anaerobic glycolysis, accompanied by an altered citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation in inflamed colons; these changes associate with inflammation-induced hypoxia taking place in colon tissues. Different colitis states were also characterized by significantly different metabolomic profiles of fecal extracts, attributable to both the dysbiosis characteristic of colitis as well as the dysregulated tissue metabolism. Strong and distinctive tissue and fecal metabolomic signatures can be detected before the onset of symptoms. Therefore, untargeted metabolomics of tissues and fecal extracts provides a comprehensive picture of the changes accompanying the disease onset already at preclinical stages, highlighting the diagnostic potential of global metabolomics for inflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elee Shimshoni
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Inna Solomonov
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Irit Sagi
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Veronica Ghini
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence 50019, Italy
- Center of Magnetic Resonance (CERM), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence 50019, Italy
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Vignoli A, Tenori L. NMR-based metabolomics in Alzheimer's disease research: a review. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1308500. [PMID: 38099198 PMCID: PMC10720579 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1308500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and represents the most common cause of dementia in the elderly population worldwide. Currently, there is no cure for AD, and the continuous increase in the number of susceptible individuals poses one of the most significant emerging threats to public health. However, the molecular pathways involved in the onset and progression of AD are not fully understood. This information is crucial for developing less invasive diagnostic instruments and discovering novel potential therapeutic targets. Metabolomics studies the complete ensemble of endogenous and exogenous metabolites present in biological specimens and may provide an interesting approach to identify alterations in multiple biochemical processes associated with AD onset and evolution. In this mini review, we summarize the results from metabolomic studies conducted using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy on human biological samples (blood derivatives, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, saliva, and tissues) from AD patients. We describe the metabolic alterations identified in AD patients compared to controls and to patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Moreover, we discuss the challenges and issues associated with the application of NMR-based metabolomics in the context of AD research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Vignoli
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Leonardo Tenori
- Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Risonanze Magnetiche MetalloProteine (CIRMMP), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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