Canagliflozin inhibits growth of hepatocellular carcinoma via blocking glucose-influx-induced β-catenin activation

Cell Death Dis. 2019 May 29;10(6):420. doi: 10.1038/s41419-019-1646-6.

Abstract

Accelerated glucose metabolism is critical in hepatocarcinogenesis, but the utilities of different glucose transporter inhibitors in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely uncharacterized. In this study, we examined a collection of glucose transporter inhibitors and found differential anti-HCC effects among these compounds. Canagliflozin (CANA), phloretin, and WZB117 decreased cellular glucose influx, but only CANA showed potent growth inhibition in HCC, which indicated a glucose-independent anti-HCC mechanism. Notably, we found that CANA treatment significantly downregulated the expression of β-catenin in HCC cells in. By co-treating cells with cycloheximide and MG-132, we proved that CANA promoted proteasomal degradation of β-catenin protein by increasing phosphorylation of β-catenin, and CANA-induced inactivation of protein phosphatase 2A was identified being responsible for this effect. Moreover, using Huh7 xenografted tumor model, CANA treatment was shown to delay tumor growth and improved the survival of HCC bearing mice. Our study highlights the unique dual β-catenin-inhibition mechanisms of CANA, which may provide new thoughts on treating HCC patient with concurrent diabetes, and, furthermore, on developing novel treatment targeting metabolic reprogram and/or WNT/β-catenin signaling in HCC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Canagliflozin / pharmacology*
  • Canagliflozin / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Cycloheximide / pharmacology
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Glucose / metabolism*
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1 / genetics
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1 / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Mice
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Protein Phosphatase 2 / metabolism
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism
  • Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 / metabolism
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway / drug effects
  • beta Catenin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Glucose Transporter Type 1
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • SLC5A2 protein, human
  • Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2
  • beta Catenin
  • Canagliflozin
  • Cycloheximide
  • Protein Phosphatase 2
  • Glucose