Discovery of Novel Potent Covalent Glutathione Peroxidase 4 Inhibitors as Highly Selective Ferroptosis Inducers for the Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

J Med Chem. 2023 Jul 27;66(14):10036-10059. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00967. Epub 2023 Jul 15.

Abstract

Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is a promising target to induce ferroptosis for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We designed and synthesized a novel series of covalent GPX4 inhibitors based on RSL3 and ML162 by structural integration and simplification strategies. Among them, compound C18 revealed a remarkable inhibitory activity against TNBC cells and significantly inhibited the activity of GPX4 compared to RSL3 and ML162. Moreover, it was identified that C18 could notably induce ferroptosis with high selectivity by increasing the accumulation of lipid peroxides (LPOs) in cells. Further study demonstrated that C18 covalently bound to the Sec46 of GPX4. Surprisingly, C18 exhibited an outstanding potency of tumor growth inhibition in the MDA-MB-231 xenograft model with a TGI value of 81.0%@20 mg/kg without obvious toxicity. Overall, C18 could be a promising GPX4 covalent inhibitor to induce ferroptosis for the treatment of TNBC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Ferroptosis*
  • Glutathione Peroxidase / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Lipid Peroxides
  • Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy

Substances

  • Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase
  • Glutathione Peroxidase
  • Lipid Peroxides