Dual Targeting of the Thioredoxin and Glutathione Anti-Oxidant Systems in Malignant B-cells; A Novel Synergistic Therapeutic Approach

摘要

B-cell malignancies are a common type of cancer. One approach to cancer therapy is to either increase oxidative stress or inhibit the stress response systems on which cancer cells rely. In this study, we combined non-toxic concentrations of Auranofin (AUR), an inhibitor of the thioredoxin (Trx) system, with non-toxic concentrations of buthionine-sulfoximine (BSO), a compound that reduces intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels, and investigated the effect of this drug combination on multiple pathways critical for malignant B-cell survival.AUR interacted synergistically with BSO at low concentrations to trigger death in multiple malignant B-cell lines and primary mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cells. Additionally, there was less toxicity toward normal B-cells. Low AUR concentrations inhibited Trx reductase (TrxR) activity, an effect significantly increased by BSO co-treatment. TrxR over-expression partially reversed AUR+BSO toxicity. Interestingly, the combination of AUR+BSO inhibited NF-κB signaling. Moreover, synergistic cell death induced by this regimen was attenuated in cells over-expressing NF-κB proteins, arguing for a functional role for NF-κB inhibition in AUR+BSO-mediated cell death.Together, these findings suggest that AUR+BSO synergistically induce malignant B-cell death, a process mediated by dual inhibition of TrxR and NF-κB, and such an approach warrants further investigation in B-cell malignancies.