Title:Sanguinarine Represses the Growth and Metastasis of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
by Facilitating Ferroptosis
Volume: 28
Issue: 9
Author(s): Rongzhong Xu, Jianchun Wu, Yingbin Luo, Yuli Wang, Jianhui Tian, Wenjing Teng, Bo Zhang, Zhihong Fang*Yan Li*
Affiliation:
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional
Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional
Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China
Keywords:
Non-small cell lung carcinoma, Sanguinarine, ferroptosis, STUB1, GPX4, dorsal flanks.
Abstract:
Objective: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Sanguinarine (SAG), a natural benzophenanthridine
alkaloid derived from the root of Sanguinaria canadensis Linn. (Bloodroot), possesses a potential anticancer
activity. Lung carcinoma is the chief cause of malignancy-related mortality in China. Non-small cell lung carcinoma
(NSCLC) is the main subtype of lung carcinoma and accounts for about eighty-five percent of this disease.
Current treatment in controlling and curing NSCLC remains deficient.
Aim: The role and underlying mechanism of SAG in repressing the growth and metastasis of NSCLC were
explored.
Materials and Methods: The role of SAG in regulating the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells was
evaluated in vitro and in a xenograft model. After treatment with SAG, Fe2+ concentration, reactive oxygen species
(ROS) levels, malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) content in NSCLC cells were assessed to
evaluate the effect of SAG on facilitating ferroptosis.
Results: SAG exhibited a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity in A549 and H3122 cells. SAG treatment
effectively repressed the growth and metastasis of NSCLC in a xenograft model. We, for the first time, verified
that SAG triggered ferroptosis of NSCLC cells, as evidenced by increased Fe2+ concentration, ROS level, and
MDA content, and decreased GSH content. Mechanistically, SAG decreased the protein stability of glutathione
peroxide 4 (GPX4) through E3 ligase STUB1-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of endogenous GPX4.
GPX4 overexpression restored the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells treated with SAG through inhibiting
ferroptosis.
Conclusion: SAG inhibits the growth and metastasis of NSCLC by regulating STUB1/GPX4-dependent
ferroptosis.