In vivo therapy of osteosarcoma using anion transporters-based supramolecular drugs

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcoma represents a serious clinical challenge due to its widespread genomic alterations, tendency for drug resistance and distant metastasis. New treatment methods are urgently needed to address those treatment difficulties in osteosarcoma to improve patient prognoses. In recent years, small-molecule based anion transporter have emerged as innovative and promising therapeutic compound with various biomedical applications. However, due to a lack of efficient delivery methods, using ion transporters as therapeutic drugs in vivo remains a major challenge.

RESULT

Herein, we developed self-assembled supramolecular drugs based on small-molecule anion transporters, which exhibited potent therapeutic effect towards osteosarcoma both in vitro and in vivo. The anion transporters can disrupt intracellular ion homeostasis, inhibit proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition process, and lead to osteosarcoma cell death. RNA sequencing, western blot and flow cytometry indicated reprogramming of HOS cells and induced cell death through multiple pathways. These pathways included activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, which avoided the development of drug resistance in osteosarcoma cells. Functionalized with osteosarcoma targeting peptide, the assembled supramolecular drug showed excellent targeted anticancer therapy against subcutaneous xenograft tumor and lung metastasis models. Besides good tumor targeting capability and anti-drug resistance, the efficacy of the assembly was also attributed to its ability to regulate the tumor immune microenvironment in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, we have demonstrated for the first time that small-molecule anion transporters are capable of killing osteosarcoma cells through multiple pathways. The assemblies, OTP-BP-L, show excellent targeting and therapeutic effect towards osteosarcoma tumors. Furthermore, the supramolecular drug shows a strong ability to regulate the tumor immune microenvironment in vivo. This work not only demonstrated the biomedical value of small-molecule anion transporters in vivo, but also provided an innovative approach for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Molecular cloning and characterisation of SaCLCa1, a novel protein of the chloride channel (CLC) family from the halophyte Suaeda altissima (L.) Pall

The SaCLCa1 gene, a putative orthologue of AtCLCa, the Arabidopsis thaliana gene encoding a NO₃-/H⁺ antiporter, was cloned from the halophyte Suaeda altissima. It belonged to the CLC family, comprising anionic channels and anion/H⁺ antiporters. SaCLCa1 ion specificity was studied by heterologous expression of this gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae GEF1 disrupted strain, Δgef1, where GEF1 encoded the only CLC family protein, the Cl- transporter Gef1p, in undisrupted strains of this organism. For comparison, the function of another recently identified S. altissima CLC family gene, SaCLCc1, was also characterised. Expression of SaCLCc1 in Δgef1 cells restored their ability to grow on selective media. This supported the chloride specificity of this transporter. By contrast, expression of SaCLCa1 did not complement the growth defect phenotype of Δgef1 cells. However, growth of the Δgef1 mutant on the selective media was partially restored when it was transformed with SaCLCa1(C562 T), encoding the modified protein SaCLCa1(P188S), in which proline responsible for NO₃- selectivity in selective filter was replaced by serine providing chloride selectivity. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR) showed that significant induction of SaCLCa1 occurred in the roots of S. altissima when plants were grown on nitrate-deficient medium, while SaCLCc1 activation was observed in S. altissima leaves of plants grown in increasing Cl- concentrations of nutrient solution. These results suggested that SaCLCa1 and SaCLCc1 function as anionic transporters with nitrate and chloride specificities, respectively.

Synthesis and evaluation of tetrahydropyrazolopyridine inhibitors of anion exchange protein SLC26A4 (pendrin)

Pendrin is a transmembrane chloride/anion antiporter that is strongly upregulated in the airways in rhinoviral infection, asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic rhinosinusitis. Based on its role in the regulation of airway surface liquid depth, pendrin inhibitors have potential indications for treatment of inflammatory airways diseases. Here, a completely regioselective route to tetrahydro-pyrazolopyridine pendrin inhibitors based on 1,3-diketone and substituted hydrazine condensation was been developed. Structure-activity relationships at the tetrahydropyridyl nitrogen were investigated using a focused library, establishing the privileged nature of N-phenyl ureas and improving inhibitor potency by greater than 2-fold.