Abstract 362: Arsenic sulfide triggers ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via TRPC6/GPX4 signaling

Abstract

Abstract Background: Ferroptosis is critically involved in the pathological process of various human diseases, including cancer. Due to this, ferroptosis-inducing drugs are gaining more attention for the clinical treatment of tumors. Methods: The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was conducted to observe cell viability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Ferroptosis was determined by levels of Fe2+, lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and transmission electron microscopy. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blot, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining were utilized to evaluate glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6). Co-immunoprecipitation assay was conducted to determine the binding between GPX4 and TRPC6. Results: Arsenic sulfide initiated ferroptotic cell death in HCC cells, which was concomitant with ROS accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and GSH depletion. Arsenic sulfide -mediated cell death in HCC cells was blocked by ferroptosis inhibitors ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), but not Z-VAD-FMK, necrosulfonamide, or chloroquine, suggesting that ferroptosis contributed to arsenic sulfide -induced cell death. Furthermore, TRPC6 expression was notably inhibited under arsenic sulfide intervention and the overexpression of TRPC6 rescued the effects of arsenic sulfide on cell viability and ferroptosis of HCC cells. Furthermore, GPX4 was identified to interact with TRPC6 through confocal microscopy images and co-immunoprecipitation assay. Conclusion: Our findings led us to conclude that arsenic sulfide could be considered as a prospective drug for liver cancer treatment. Citation Format: Shumin Lu, Yu Cai, Chuanying Zhu, Zhuowei Feng, Shuxian Chen, Siyu Chen. Arsenic sulfide triggers ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via TRPC6/GPX4 signaling [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 362.