Marine Alkaloid Lepadins E and H Induce Ferroptosis for Cancer Chemotherapy

J Med Chem. 2023 Aug 24;66(16):11201-11215. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00659. Epub 2023 Aug 14.

Abstract

Induction of ferroptosis emerges as an effective method for cancer treatment. With massive efforts to elucidate the ferroptosis mechanism, the development of new ferroptosis inducers proceeds rather slowly, with only a few small molecules identified. Herein, we report our discovery of marine alkaloid lepadins E and H as a new class of ferroptosis inducers. Our in vitro studies show that lepadins E and H exhibit significant cytotoxicity, promote p53 expression, increase ROS production and lipid peroxides, reduce SLC7A11 and GPX4 levels, and upregulate ACSL4 expression, all of which consistently support induction of ferroptosis through the classical p53-SLC7A11-GPX4 pathway. Our animal model study of lepadin H confirms its in vivo antitumor efficacy with negligible toxicity to normal organs. This work elucidates the mode of action of lepadins (E and H) and verifies their in vivo efficacy as a new class of ferroptosis inducers for anticancer therapy with translational potential.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkaloids* / pharmacology
  • Alkaloids* / therapeutic use
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Ferroptosis*
  • Neoplasms*
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

Substances

  • Alkaloids
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • lepadin H
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • decahydro-3-hydroxy-5-(5'-hydroxyoctyl)-2-methyl-3-quinolinyl ester 2''-octenoic acid