Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition combined with phenformin treatment reversed NSCLC through ATP depletion

Oncotarget. 2016 Aug 2;7(31):49397-49410. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.10354.

Abstract

Among ALDH isoforms, ALDH1L1 in the folate pathway showed highly increased expression in non-small-cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC). Based on the basic mechanism of ALDH converting aldehyde to carboxylic acid with by-product NADH, we suggested that ALDH1L1 may contribute to ATP production using NADH through oxidative phosphorylation. ALDH1L1 knockdown reduced ATP production by up to 60% concomitantly with decrease of NADH in NSCLC. ALDH inhibitor, gossypol, also reduced ATP production in a dose dependent manner together with decrease of NADH level in NSCLC. A combination treatment of gossypol with phenformin, mitochondrial complex I inhibitor, synergized ATP depletion, which efficiently induced cell death. Pre-clinical xenograft model using human NSCLC demonstrated a remarkable therapeutic response to the combined treatment of gossypol and phenformin.

Keywords: NSCLC; aldehyde dehydrogenase; cancer metabolism; gossypol; phenformin.

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials
  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism*
  • Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Aspartic Acid / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cytosol / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gossypol / administration & dosage*
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Malates / metabolism
  • Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mitochondria / metabolism
  • NAD / metabolism
  • NADP / metabolism
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • Oxidative Phosphorylation
  • Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors
  • Phenformin / administration & dosage*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism

Substances

  • Malates
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • NAD
  • Aspartic Acid
  • NADP
  • malic acid
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Phenformin
  • Aldehyde Dehydrogenase
  • Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors
  • formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase
  • Gossypol