Elucidating the Multimodal Anticancer Mechanism of an Organometallic Terpyridine Platinum(II) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo

J Med Chem. 2023 Mar 23;66(6):3995-4008. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01925. Epub 2023 Mar 10.

Abstract

Treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has long been a medical challenge because of the lack of effective therapeutic targets. Targeting lipid, carbohydrate, and nucleotide metabolism pathways has recently been proven as a promising option in view of three heterogeneous metabolic-pathway-based TNBC subtypes. Here, we present a multimodal anticancer platinum(II) complex, named Pt(II)caffeine, with a novel mode of action involving simultaneous mitochondrial damage, inhibition of lipid, carbohydrate, and nucleotide metabolic pathways, and promotion of autophagy. All these biological processes eventually result in a strong suppression of TNBC MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. The results indicate that Pt(II)caffeine, influencing cellular metabolism at multiple levels, is a metallodrug with increased potential to overcome the metabolic heterogeneity of TNBC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis
  • Caffeine / therapeutic use
  • Carbohydrates / pharmacology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Humans
  • Lipids / pharmacology
  • Nucleotides / pharmacology
  • Platinum* / pharmacology
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms* / metabolism

Substances

  • Platinum
  • Caffeine
  • carbene
  • Carbohydrates
  • Nucleotides
  • Lipids