bims-nurfca 2023-10-22 papers

bims-nurfca

Biomed News

on NRF2 and Cancer

Issue of 2023‒10‒22
eight papers selected by
Caner Geyik, Istinye University

Immunoediting of KEAP1-NRF2 mutant tumours is required to circumvent NRF2-mediated immune surveillance.
The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/p53 axis in breast cancer.
Advances in developing noncovalent small molecules targeting Keap1.
Combinatorial Implications of Nrf2 Inhibitors with FN3K Inhibitor: In Vitro Breast Cancer Study.
Investigation of the effects of catharanthine and Q10 on Nrf2 and its association with MMP-9, MRP1, and Bcl-2 and apoptosis in a model of hepatocellular carcinoma.
NRF2 interacts with distal enhancer and inhibits nitric oxide synthase 2 expression in KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer cells.
Polyphyllin I induced ferroptosis to suppress the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through activation of the mitochondrial dysfunction via Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 axis.
Overcoming the compensatory increase in NRF2 induced by NPL4 inhibition enhances disulfiram/copper-induced oxidative stress and ferroptosis in renal cell carcinoma.

Redox Biol. 2023 Oct 10. pii: S2213-2317(23)00305-1. [Epub ahead of print]67 102904

Immunoediting of KEAP1-NRF2 mutant tumours is required to circumvent NRF2-mediated immune surveillance.

Liam Baird, Masayuki Yamamoto.

  In human cancer, activating mutations in the KEAP1-NRF2 pathway are frequently observed, and positively selected for, as they confer the cytoprotective functions of the transcription factor NRF2 on the cancer cells. This results in the development of aggressive tumours which are resistant to treatment with chemotherapeutic compounds. Recent clinical developments have also revealed that NRF2-activated cancers are similarly resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs. As the mechanism of action of these immune modulating therapies is tangential to the classical cytoprotective function of NRF2, it is unclear how aberrant NRF2 activity could impact the anti-cancer functionality of the immune system. In this context, we found that in human cancer, NRF2-activated cells are highly immunoedited, which allows the cancer cells to escape immune surveillance and develop into malignant tumours. This immunoediting takes the form of reduced antigen presentation by the MHC-I complex, coupled with reduced expression of activating ligands for NK cells. Together, these modifications to the immunogenicity of NRF2-activated cancers inhibit immune effector cell infiltration and engagement, and contribute to the formation of the immunologically cold tumour microenvironment which is a characteristic feature of NRF2-activated cancers.

Keywords:  Immune evasion; Immune surveillance; Immunoediting; KEAP1; NFE2L2; NISP; NRF2; Oxidative stress; Stress response

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2023.102904
Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2023 Oct 15. 33(3): 030504

The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/p53 axis in breast cancer.

Lei Xia, Wenbiao Ma, Ahmad Afrashteh, Mir Amirhossein Sajadi, Hadi Fakheri, Mohammad Valilo.

  One of the most important factors involved in the response to oxidative stress (OS) is the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which regulates the expression of components such as antioxidative stress proteins and enzymes. Under normal conditions, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) keeps Nrf2 in the cytoplasm, thus preventing its translocation to the nucleus and inhibiting its role. It has been established that Nrf2 has a dual function; on the one hand, it promotes angiogenesis and cancer cell metastasis while causing resistance to drugs and chemotherapy. On the other hand, Nrf2 increases expression and proliferation of glutathione to protect cells against OS. p53 is a tumour suppressor that activates the apoptosis pathway in aging and cancer cells in addition to stimulating the glutaminolysis and antioxidant pathways. Cancer cells use the antioxidant ability of p53 against OS. Therefore, in the present study, we discussed function of Nrf2 and p53 in breast cancer (BC) cells to elucidate their role in protection or destruction of cancer cells as well as their drug resistance or antioxidant properties.

Keywords:  Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1); breast cancer; drug resistance; nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2); p53

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2023.030504
Drug Discov Today. 2023 Oct 16. pii: S1359-6446(23)00316-1. [Epub ahead of print] 103800

Advances in developing noncovalent small molecules targeting Keap1.

Marilia Barreca, Yuting Qin, Marie Elodie Hélène Cadot, Paola Barraja, Anders Bach.

  Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) is a drug target for diseases involving oxidative stress and inflammation. There are three covalent Keap1-binding drugs on the market, but noncovalent compounds that inhibit the interaction between Keap1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) represent an attractive alternative. Both compound types prevent degradation of Nrf2, leading to the expression of antioxidant and antiinflammatory proteins. However, their off-target profiles differ as do their exact pharmacodynamic effects. Here, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of targeting Keap1 with covalent versus noncovalent inhibitors. We then provide a comprehensive overview of current noncovalent Keap1-Nrf2 inhibitors, with a focus their on pharmacological effects, to examine the therapeutic potential for this compound class.

Keywords:  Keap1; Nrf2; inflammation; oxidative stress; reactive oxygen species (ROS); small molecules

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103800
Curr Pharm Des. 2023 Oct 13.

Combinatorial Implications of Nrf2 Inhibitors with FN3K Inhibitor: In Vitro Breast Cancer Study.

Narasimha Murthy Beeraka, Jin Zhang, Di Zhao, Junqi Liu, Chinnappa Au, Hemanth Vikram P R, Priyanka Sivaprakash, Namitha Bannimath, Prasath Manogaran, Mikhail Y Sinelnikov, Gurupadayya Bannimath, Ruitai Fan.

  BACKGROUND: Platinum derivatives are chemotherapeutic agents preferred for the treatment of cancers including breast cancer. Oxaliplatin is an anticancer drug that is in phase II studies to treat metastatic breast cancer. However, its usage is constrained by chemoresistance and dose-related side effects.OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to examine the combinatorial efficacy of brusatol, an Nrf2 blocker, with oxaliplatin (a proven FN3K blocker in our study) in mitigating breast cancer growth in vitro.
METHODS: We performed cytotoxicity assays, combination index (CI) analysis, colony formation assays, apoptosis assays, and Western blotting.
RESULTS: Results of our study described the chemosensitizing efficacy of brusatol in combination with lowdose oxaliplatin against breast cancer through synergistic effects in both BT-474 and T47D cells. A significant mitigation in the migration rate of these cancer cells was observed with the combination regimen, which is equivalent to the IC-50 dose of oxaliplatin (125 μM). Furthermore, ROS-mediated and apoptotic modes of cell death were observed with a combinatorial regimen. Colony formation of breast cancer cell lines was mitigated with a combinatorial regimen of bursatol and oxaliplatin than the individual treatment regimen. FN3K expression downregulated with oxaliplatin in T47D cells. The mitigation of FN3K protein expression with a combination regimen was not observed but the Nrf2 downstream antioxidant signaling proteins were significantly downregulated with a combination regimen similar to individual drug regimens.
CONCLUSION: Our study concluded the combination efficacy of phytochemicals like brusatol in combination with low-dose oxaliplatin (FN3K blocker), which could enhance the chemosensitizing effect in breast cancer and minimize the overall dose requirement of oxaliplatin.

Keywords:  Breast cancer; Brusatol; FN3K blocker; Nrf2 blocker; apoptosis; chemosensitization; oxaliplatin; oxidative stress

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128261466231011114600
Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 19.

Investigation of the effects of catharanthine and Q10 on Nrf2 and its association with MMP-9, MRP1, and Bcl-2 and apoptosis in a model of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Nafiseh Heidari-Kalvani, Shahin Alizadeh-Fanalou, Sahar Yarahmadi, Sudabeh Fallah, Iraj Alipourfard, Navid Farahmandian, Fereshteh Barjesteh, Elham Bahreini.

  Since the role of Nrf2 in cancer cell survival has been highlighted, the pharmacological modulation of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway may provide new opportunities for cancer treatment. This study purposed to use ubiquinone (Q10) as an antioxidant and catharanthine alkaloid as a cAMP inducer suppressing HepG2 cells by reducing Nrf2 level. The effects of Q10 and catharanthine on HepG2 cells in terms of viability were analyzed by MTT test. MTT results were used to determine the effective concentration of both drugs for the subsequent treatment and analysis. Subsequently, the effects of Q10 and catharanthine in a single and combined manner on oxidant/antioxidant status, apoptosis, metastasis, and drug resistance of HepG2 cells were investigated by related methods. Both Q10 and catharanthine decreased the level of oxidative stress products and increased antioxidant capacity in HepG2 cells. Nrf2 gene expression decreased by Q10, but catharanthine unexpectedly increased it. Following Nrf2 alterations, the expression levels of MMP-9 and MRP1 involved in metastasis and drug resistance were significantly and dose-dependently decreased by Q10, while catharanthine slightly increased both. However, both drugs increased caspase 3/7 activity and apoptosis rate, and the effect of Q10 on apoptosis was stronger than that of catharanthine. Most of the effects of the combination treatments were similar to those of the Q10 single treatment and indicated the dominant effect over the catharanthine component. Despite the antioxidant and apoptotic properties of both agents, Q10 was better than catharanthine in inducing apoptosis, counteracting drug resistance, and metastasis in HepG2 cells.

Keywords:  Apoptosis; Catharanthine; Drug resistance; HepG2 cell; Metastasis; Q10; Ubiquinone

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-023-02767-0
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res. 2023 Oct 16. pii: S0167-4889(23)00179-9. [Epub ahead of print] 119606

NRF2 interacts with distal enhancer and inhibits nitric oxide synthase 2 expression in KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer cells.

Eros Di Giorgio, Ylenia Cortolezzis, Nicolò Gualandi, Francesca Agostini, Valentina Rapozzi, Luigi E Xodo.

  Nitric oxide is a pleiotropic free radical produced by three nitric oxide synthases (NOS1-3), of which inducible NOS2 is involved in tumor initiation and progression. In this study, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and qRT-PCR experiments combined with bioinformatic analyses showed that NRF2 is a repressor of NOS2 gene by maintaining a distal enhancer located 22 kb downstream of TSS in an inactive state. Deletion of NRF2 leads to activation of the enhancer, which exerts a pioneering function before it is fully activated. Specifically, NRF2 controls the expression of NOS2 in response to intracellular oxidative stress and extracellular oxygen pressure. We found that abrogation of NOS2 expression by siRNAs partially reduced the ability of WT Panc-1 cells to form 3D spheroids, but strongly reduced the formation of 3D spheroids by NRF2-depleted Panc-1 cells. Mechanistically, this effect correlates with the finding that NOS2 and nitric oxide stimulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in NRF2-depleted Panc-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells. We also found that knockdown of NOS2 leads to blockade of 3D matrigel invasion of NRF2-depleted PDAC cells, demonstrating that a short-circuit in the reciprocal regulation of NOS2 and NRF2 attenuates the malignancy of PDAC cells. In summary, we show for the first time that: (i) NRF2 is a suppressor of NOS2 in pancreatic cancer cells; (ii) NRF2 binds to and inactivates an enhancer located 22 kb downstream of TSS of the NOS2 gene; (iv) activation of NOS2 requires suppression of NRF2; (iii) protein NOS2 is required for NRF2-depleted Panc-1 cells to maintain their malignancy and invasiveness.

Keywords:  ChIP-seq; Epigenetics; NOS2; NOS2 enhancer; NOS2 regulation; Nitric oxide; RNA-seq

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119606
Phytomedicine. 2023 Oct 12. pii: S0944-7113(23)00490-7. [Epub ahead of print]122 155135

Polyphyllin I induced ferroptosis to suppress the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through activation of the mitochondrial dysfunction via Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 axis.

Renyi Yang, Wenhui Gao, Zhibing Wang, Huiying Jian, Lian Peng, Xiaopeng Yu, Peisen Xue, Wei Peng, Kexiong Li, Puhua Zeng.

  BACKGROUND: Ferroptosis is an emerging iron-dependent programmed cell death mode characterized by lipid peroxidation and iron accumulation, closely associated with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) progression. Although the impact of Polyphyllin I (PPI), a prominent bioactive constituent derived from Paris polyphylla, on diverse malignancies has been established, the specific role and potential mechanistic pathways through which PPI modulates ferroptosis in HCC remain elusive.PURPOSE: This study aimed to elucidate the anti-cancer properties and potential mechanisms of PPI in inducing ferroptosis and triggering mitochondrial injury in HCC.
METHODS: Cell viability was assessed using CCK-8 assays. EdU proliferation and colony formation assays were employed to evaluate cell proliferation. A wound-healing assay was performed to assess cell migration. Transwell assay was utilized to evaluate cell invasion. Ferroptosis was evaluated through the utilization of a FerroOrange fluorescent probe, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) assay kits, DCFH-DA fluorescent probe, western blotting, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Molecular docking, immunofluorescence, and western blotting were employed to predict and validate the binding and interaction of PPI with Nrf2, HO-1, xCT, and GPX4. Mitochondrial structure and membrane potential changes were evaluated using JC-1 and Mito Tracker Green fluorescent probes. A nude mice xenograft model was constructed to determine the inhibitory effects and the levels of ferroptosis of PPI on HCC through hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Prussian blue reaction, immunofluorescence staining, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting analysis, in vivo.
RESULTS: PPI exhibited dose-dependent inhibitory effects on the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells mediated by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA levels, promoting Fe2+ accumulation, depleting GSH, and suppressing the expression of xCT and GPX4, thereby inducing ferroptosis in HCC. The induction of ferroptosis by PPI was associated with the binding of PPI to Nrf2, HO-1, and GPX4 proteins, modulating the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 antioxidant axis. PPI also induced mitochondrial structural damage and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Inhibition of ferroptosis by ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) mitigated the mitochondrial disruption induced by PPI. In vivo, PPI inhibited Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 axis-induced ferroptosis, impeding HCC growth similar to the effects of sorafenib.
CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that PPI intervention can suppress the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells by enhancing mitochondrial disruption and inducing ferroptosis via the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 axis. Consequently, our research advances the frontiers of pharmacodynamics and deepens our comprehension of the intricate mechanisms underpinning PPI. Furthermore, it has yielded an innovative treatment stratagem rooted in the tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), thereby furnishing a novel therapeutic avenue for addressing HCC.

Keywords:  Ferroptosis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 axis; Polyphyllin I

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2023.155135
Eur J Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 12. pii: S0014-2999(23)00624-6. [Epub ahead of print]960 176110

Overcoming the compensatory increase in NRF2 induced by NPL4 inhibition enhances disulfiram/copper-induced oxidative stress and ferroptosis in renal cell carcinoma.

Xinmiao Ni, Chenglin Ye, Xi Yu, Ye Zhang, Yanguang Hou, Qingyuan Zheng, Zhiyuan Chen, Lei Wang, Xiaodong Weng, Chuan Yang, Xiuheng Liu.

  Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer, and it appears to be highly susceptible to ferroptosis. Disulfiram, an alcoholism drug, has been shown to have anticancer properties in various studies, including those on RCC. However, the mechanism of the anticancer effect of disulfiram/copper on RCC remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of disulfiram/copper on RCC treatment using both RCC cells and mouse subcutaneous tumor models. Our findings demonstrate that disulfiram/copper treatment reduced the viability of RCC cells, inhibited their invasion and migration, and disrupted mitochondrial homeostasis, ultimately leading to oxidative stress and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, disulfiram/copper treatment prolonged the half-life of NRF2 and reduced its degradation, but had no effect on transcription, indicating that the disulfiram/copper-induced increase in NRF2 was not related to transcription. Furthermore, we observed that disulfiram/copper treatment reduced the expression of NPL4, a ubiquitin protein-proteasome system involved in NRF2 degradation, while overexpression of NPL4 reversed NRF2 levels and enhanced disulfiram/copper-induced oxidative stress and ferroptosis. These results suggest that overcoming the compensatory increase in NRF2 induced by NPL4 inhibition enhances disulfiram/copper-induced oxidative stress and ferroptosis in RCC. In addition, our in vivo experiments revealed that disulfiram/copper synergized with sorafenib to inhibit the growth of RCC cells and induce ferroptosis. In conclusion, our study sheds light on a possible mechanism for disulfiram/copper treatment in RCC and provides a potential synergistic strategy to overcome sorafenib resistance.

Keywords:  Disulfiram; Ferroptosis; NPL4; NRF2; Oxidative stress; Renal cell carcinoma

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176110