1
|
Miller AI, Diaz D, Lin B, Krzesaj PK, Ustoyev S, Shim A, Fine EJ, Sarafraz-Yazdi E, Pincus MR, Feinman RD. Ketone Bodies Induce Unique Inhibition of Tumor Cell Proliferation and Enhance the Efficacy of Anti-Cancer Agents. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2515. [PMID: 37760956 PMCID: PMC10526402 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092515] [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: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The ketone bodies, sodium and lithium salts of acetoacetate (AcAc) and sodium 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB; commonly called beta-hydroxybutyrate) have been found to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. Previous studies have suggested that lithium itself may be an inhibiting agent but may be additive or synergistic with the effect of AcAc. We previously found that sodium acetoacetate (NaAcAc) inhibits the growth of human colon cancer cell line SW480. We report here similar results for several other cancer cell lines including ovarian, cervical and breast cancers. We found that NaAcAc does not kill cancer cells but rather blocks their proliferation. Similar inhibition of growth was seen in the effect of lithium ion alone (as LiCl). The effect of LiAcAc appears to be due to the combined effects of acetoacetate and the lithium ion. The ketone bodies, when given together with chemotherapeutic agents, rapamycin, methotrexate and the new peptide anti-cancer agent, PNC-27, substantially lowers their IC50 values for cancer cell, killing suggesting that ketone bodies and ketogenic diets may be powerful adjunct agents in treating human cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna I. Miller
- Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | - David Diaz
- Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
- Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | - Bo Lin
- Department of Pathology, AdventHealth, 301 Memorial Medical Pkwy, Daytona Beach, FL 32117, USA
| | - Patryk K. Krzesaj
- Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
- Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | - Sarah Ustoyev
- Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
- Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | - Alfred Shim
- Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
- Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | - Eugene J. Fine
- Department of Radiology (Nuclear Medicine), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Ehsan Sarafraz-Yazdi
- NomoCan Pharmaceuticals LLC, New York Blood Center, 310 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Matthew R. Pincus
- Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | - Richard D. Feinman
- Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Catalano L, Aminzadeh-Gohari S, Weber DD, Poupardin R, Stefan VE, Smiles WJ, Tevini J, Feichtinger RG, Derdak S, Bilban M, Bareswill S, Heimesaat MM, Kofler B. Triple Therapy with Metformin, Ketogenic Diet, and Metronomic Cyclophosphamide Reduced Tumor Growth in MYCN-Amplified Neuroblastoma Xenografts. Metabolites 2023; 13:910. [PMID: 37623854 PMCID: PMC10456943 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13080910] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood cancer in which amplification of the MYCN gene is the most acknowledged marker of poor prognosis. MYCN-amplified NB cells rely on both glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for energy production. Previously, we demonstrated that a ketogenic diet (KD) combined with metronomic cyclophosphamide (CP) delayed tumor growth in MYCN-amplified NB xenografts. The anti-diabetic drug metformin (MET) also targets complex I of the OXPHOS system. Therefore, MET-induced disruptions of mitochondrial respiration may enhance the anti-tumor effect of CP when combined with a KD. In this study, we found that MET decreased cell proliferation and mitochondrial respiration in MYCN-amplified NB cell lines, while the combination of KD, MET, and low-dose CP (triple therapy) also reduced tumor growth and improved survival in vivo in MYCN-amplified NB xenografts. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that this triple therapy had the greatest effect on the transcription of genes involved in fatty acid ß-oxidation, which was supported by the increased protein expression of CPT1A, a key mitochondrial fatty acid transporter. We suspect that alterations to ß-oxidation alongside the inhibition of complex I may hamper mitochondrial energy production, thus explaining these augmented anti-tumor effects, suggesting that the combination of MET and KD is an effective adjuvant therapy to CP in MYCN-amplified NB xenografts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Catalano
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| | - Sepideh Aminzadeh-Gohari
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| | - Daniela D. Weber
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| | - Rodolphe Poupardin
- Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg (SCI-TReCS), Cell Therapy Institute, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Victoria E. Stefan
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| | - William J. Smiles
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| | - Julia Tevini
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| | - René G. Feichtinger
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| | - Sophia Derdak
- Core Facilities, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Bilban
- Core Facilities, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Bareswill
- Gastrointestinal Microbiology Research Group, Institute of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Corporate Member of Free University Berlin, Humboldt University Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus M. Heimesaat
- Gastrointestinal Microbiology Research Group, Institute of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Corporate Member of Free University Berlin, Humboldt University Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Barbara Kofler
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (L.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Calabrese EJ, Pressman P, Hayes AW, Dhawan G, Kapoor R, Agathokleous E, Calabrese V. Lithium and hormesis: Enhancement of adaptive responses and biological performance via hormetic mechanisms. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2023; 78:127156. [PMID: 36958112 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2023.127156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Biomedical and consumer interest in the health-promoting properties of pure single entities of known or unknown chemical constituents and mixtures has never been greater. Since its "rediscovery" in the 1950s, lithium is an example of such a constituent that represents an array of scientific and public health challenges and medical potentials that may now be understood best when seen through the lens of the dose-response paradigm known as hormesis. The present paper represents the first review of the capacity of lithium to induce hormetic dose responses in a broad range of biological models, organ systems, and endpoints. Of significance is that the numerous hormetic findings occur with extensive concentration/dose response evaluations with the optimal dosing being similar across multiple organ systems. The particular focus of these hormetic dose-response findings was targeted to research with a broad spectrum of stem cell types and neuroprotective effects. These findings suggest that lithium may have critically valuable systemic effects with respect to those therapeutically treated with lithium as well as for exposures that may be achieved via dietary intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Calabrese
- Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
| | - Peter Pressman
- Saba University School of Medicine, Caribbean, the Netherlands
| | - A Wallace Hayes
- Center for Environmental Occupational Risk Analysis and Management College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | | | - Rachna Kapoor
- Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center; Hartford, CT, USA
| | - Evgenios Agathokleous
- School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Vittorio Calabrese
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences; School of Medicine University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 97, Catania 95123, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lithium: A Promising Anticancer Agent. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13020537. [PMID: 36836894 PMCID: PMC9966411 DOI: 10.3390/life13020537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Lithium is a therapeutic cation used to treat bipolar disorders but also has some important features as an anti-cancer agent. In this review, we provide a general overview of lithium, from its transport into cells, to its innovative administration forms, and based on genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. Lithium formulations such as lithium acetoacetate (LiAcAc), lithium chloride (LiCl), lithium citrate (Li3C6H5O7), and lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) induce apoptosis, autophagy, and inhibition of tumor growth and also participate in the regulation of tumor proliferation, tumor invasion, and metastasis and cell cycle arrest. Moreover, lithium is synergistic with standard cancer therapies, enhancing their anti-tumor effects. In addition, lithium has a neuroprotective role in cancer patients, by improving their quality of life. Interestingly, nano-sized lithium enhances its anti-tumor activities and protects vital organs from the damage caused by lipid peroxidation during tumor development. However, these potential therapeutic activities of lithium depend on various factors, such as the nature and aggressiveness of the tumor, the type of lithium salt, and its form of administration and dosage. Since lithium has been used to treat bipolar disorder, the current study provides an overview of its role in medicine and how this has changed. This review also highlights the importance of this repurposed drug, which appears to have therapeutic cancer potential, and underlines its molecular mechanisms.
Collapse
|
5
|
Weber DD, Aminzadeh-Gohari S, Thapa M, Redtenbacher AS, Catalano L, Capelôa T, Vazeille T, Emberger M, Felder TK, Feichtinger RG, Koelblinger P, Dallmann G, Sonveaux P, Lang R, Kofler B. Ketogenic diets slow melanoma growth in vivo regardless of tumor genetics and metabolic plasticity. Cancer Metab 2022; 10:12. [PMID: 35851093 PMCID: PMC9290281 DOI: 10.1186/s40170-022-00288-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Growing evidence supports the use of low-carbohydrate/high-fat ketogenic diets as an adjunctive cancer therapy. However, it is unclear which genetic, metabolic, or immunological factors contribute to the beneficial effect of ketogenic diets. Therefore, we investigated the effect of ketogenic diets on the progression and metabolism of genetically and metabolically heterogeneous melanoma xenografts, as well as on the development of melanoma metastases in mice with a functional immune system. Methods Mice bearing BRAF mutant, NRAS mutant, and wild-type melanoma xenografts as well as mice bearing highly metastatic melanoma allografts were fed with a control diet or ketogenic diets, differing in their triglyceride composition, to evaluate the effect of ketogenic diets on tumor growth and metastasis. We performed an in-depth targeted metabolomics analysis in plasma and xenografts to elucidate potential antitumor mechanisms in vivo. Results We show that ketogenic diets effectively reduced tumor growth in immunocompromised mice bearing genetically and metabolically heterogeneous human melanoma xenografts. Furthermore, the ketogenic diets exerted a metastasis-reducing effect in the immunocompetent syngeneic melanoma mouse model. Targeted analysis of plasma and tumor metabolomes revealed that ketogenic diets induced distinct changes in amino acid metabolism. Interestingly, ketogenic diets reduced the levels of alpha-amino adipic acid, a biomarker of cancer, in circulation to levels observed in tumor-free mice. Additionally, alpha-amino adipic acid was reduced in xenografts by ketogenic diets. Moreover, the ketogenic diets increased sphingomyelin levels in plasma and the hydroxylation of sphingomyelins and acylcarnitines in tumors. Conclusions Ketogenic diets induced antitumor effects toward melanoma regardless of the tumors´ genetic background, its metabolic signature, and the host immune status. Moreover, ketogenic diets simultaneously affected multiple metabolic pathways to create an unfavorable environment for melanoma cell proliferation, supporting their potential as a complementary nutritional approach to melanoma therapy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40170-022-00288-7.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela D Weber
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Sepideh Aminzadeh-Gohari
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Anna-Sophia Redtenbacher
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Luca Catalano
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Tânia Capelôa
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thibaut Vazeille
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Thomas K Felder
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - René G Feichtinger
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Peter Koelblinger
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Pierre Sonveaux
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Roland Lang
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Barbara Kofler
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Khreesha L, Qaswal AB, Al Omari B, Albliwi MA, Ababneh O, Albanna A, Abunab'ah A, Iswaid M, Alarood S, Guzu H, Alshawabkeh G, Zayed FM, Abuhilaleh MA, Al-Jbour MN, Obeidat S, Suleiman A. Quantum Tunneling-Induced Membrane Depolarization Can Explain the Cellular Effects Mediated by Lithium: Mathematical Modeling and Hypothesis. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:851. [PMID: 34832080 PMCID: PMC8625630 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11110851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Lithium imposes several cellular effects allegedly through multiple physiological mechanisms. Membrane depolarization is a potential unifying concept of these mechanisms. Multiple inherent imperfections of classical electrophysiology limit its ability to fully explain the depolarizing effect of lithium ions; these include incapacity to explain the high resting permeability of lithium ions, the degree of depolarization with extracellular lithium concentration, depolarization at low therapeutic concentration, or the differences between the two lithium isotopes Li-6 and Li-7 in terms of depolarization. In this study, we implemented a mathematical model that explains the quantum tunneling of lithium ions through the closed gates of voltage-gated sodium channels as a conclusive approach that decodes the depolarizing action of lithium. Additionally, we compared our model to the classical model available and reported the differences. Our results showed that lithium can achieve high quantum membrane conductance at the resting state, which leads to significant depolarization. The quantum model infers that quantum membrane conductance of lithium ions emerges from quantum tunneling of lithium through the closed gates of sodium channels. It also differentiates between the two lithium isotopes (Li-6 and Li-7) in terms of depolarization compared with the previous classical model. Moreover, our study listed many examples of the cellular effects of lithium and membrane depolarization to show similarity and consistency with model predictions. In conclusion, the study suggests that lithium mediates its multiple cellular effects through membrane depolarization, and this can be comprehensively explained by the quantum tunneling model of lithium ions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lubna Khreesha
- School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | | | - Baheth Al Omari
- School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | | | - Omar Ababneh
- School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | - Ahmad Albanna
- School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | | | - Mohammad Iswaid
- School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | - Salameh Alarood
- School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | - Hasan Guzu
- Anesthesia Department, Farah Medical Campus, 18 Mai Zeyadeh Street, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | - Ghadeer Alshawabkeh
- Anesthesia and Pain Management Department, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | | | | | | | - Salameh Obeidat
- Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Aiman Suleiman
- Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bikman BT, Fisher-Wellman KH. The Metabolic Effects of Ketones. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22158292. [PMID: 34361057 PMCID: PMC8348615 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T. Bikman
- Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- Correspondence:
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
The Potential Role of Lithium as an Antiviral Agent against SARS-CoV-2 via Membrane Depolarization: Review and Hypothesis. Sci Pharm 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/scipharm89010011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on potential treatments of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are important to improve the global situation in the face of the pandemic. This review proposes lithium as a potential drug to treat COVID-19. Our hypothesis states that lithium can suppress NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activity, inhibit cell death, and exhibit immunomodulation via membrane depolarization. Our hypothesis was formulated after finding consistent correlations between these actions and membrane depolarization induced by lithium. Eventually, lithium could serve to mitigate the NLRP3-mediated cytokine storm, which is allegedly reported to be the inciting event of a series of retrogressive events associated with mortality from COVID-19. It could also inhibit cell death and modulate the immune system to attenuate its release, clear the virus from the body, and interrupt the cycle of immune-system dysregulation. Therefore, these effects are presumed to improve the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. As the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise exponentially without a clear consensus on potential therapeutic agents, urgent conduction of preclinical and clinical studies to prove the efficacy and safety of lithium is reasonable.
Collapse
|
9
|
Aminzadeh-Gohari S, Weber DD, Catalano L, Feichtinger RG, Kofler B, Lang R. Targeting Mitochondria in Melanoma. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10101395. [PMID: 33007949 PMCID: PMC7599575 DOI: 10.3390/biom10101395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drastically elevated glycolytic activity is a prominent metabolic feature of cancer cells. Until recently it was thought that tumor cells shift their entire energy production from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to glycolysis. However, new evidence indicates that many cancer cells still have functional OXPHOS, despite their increased reliance on glycolysis. Growing pre-clinical and clinical evidence suggests that targeting mitochondrial metabolism has anti-cancer effects. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial respiration and the amount and activity of OXPHOS complexes in four melanoma cell lines and normal human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) by Seahorse real-time cell metabolic analysis, immunoblotting, and spectrophotometry. We also tested three clinically approved antibiotics, one anti-parasitic drug (pyrvinium pamoate), and a novel anti-cancer agent (ONC212) for effects on mitochondrial respiration and proliferation of melanoma cells and HDFs. We found that three of the four melanoma cell lines have elevated glycolysis as well as OXPHOS, but contain dysfunctional mitochondria. The antibiotics produced different effects on the melanoma cells and HDFs. The anti-parasitic drug strongly inhibited respiration and proliferation of both the melanoma cells and HDFs. ONC212 reduced respiration in melanoma cells and HDFs, and inhibited the proliferation of melanoma cells. Our findings highlight ONC212 as a promising drug for targeting mitochondrial respiration in cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Aminzadeh-Gohari
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.A.-G.); (D.D.W.); (L.C.); (R.G.F.)
| | - Daniela D. Weber
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.A.-G.); (D.D.W.); (L.C.); (R.G.F.)
| | - Luca Catalano
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.A.-G.); (D.D.W.); (L.C.); (R.G.F.)
| | - René G. Feichtinger
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.A.-G.); (D.D.W.); (L.C.); (R.G.F.)
| | - Barbara Kofler
- Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.A.-G.); (D.D.W.); (L.C.); (R.G.F.)
- Correspondence: (B.K.); (R.L.); Tel.: +43-57255-26274 (B.K.); +43-57255-58200 (R.L.)
| | - Roland Lang
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Correspondence: (B.K.); (R.L.); Tel.: +43-57255-26274 (B.K.); +43-57255-58200 (R.L.)
| |
Collapse
|