Sonlicromanol's active metabolite KH176m normalizes prostate cancer stem cell mPGES-1 overexpression and inhibits cancer spheroid growth

PLoS One. 2021 Jul 9;16(7):e0254315. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254315. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Aggressiveness of cancers, like prostate cancer, has been found to be associated with elevated expression of the microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). Here, we investigated whether KH176m (the active metabolite of sonlicromanol), a recently discovered selective mPGES-1 inhibitor, could affect prostate cancer cells-derived spheroid growth. We demonstrated that KH176m suppressed mPGES-1 expression and growth of DU145 (high mPGES-1 expression)-derived spheroids, while it had no effect on the LNCaP cell line, which has low mPGES-1 expression. By addition of exogenous PGE2, we found that the effect of KH176m on mPGES-1 expression and spheroid growth is due to the inhibition of a PGE2-driven positive feedback control-loop of mPGES-1 transcriptional regulation. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subset of cancer cells exhibiting the ability of self-renewal, plasticity, and initiating and maintaining tumor growth. Our data shows that mPGES-1 is specifically expressed in this CSCs subpopulation (CD44+CD24-). KH176m inhibited the expression of mPGES-1 and reduced the growth of spheroids derived from the CSC. Based on the results obtained we propose selective mPGES-1 targeting by the sonlicromanol metabolite KH176m as a potential novel treatment approach for cancer patients with high mPGES-1 expression.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Dinoprostone / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells* / drug effects
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells* / metabolism
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells* / pathology
  • Prostaglandin-E Synthases* / genetics
  • Prostaglandin-E Synthases* / metabolism
  • Prostatic Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms* / metabolism
  • Prostatic Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Spheroids, Cellular* / drug effects
  • Spheroids, Cellular* / metabolism
  • Spheroids, Cellular* / pathology

Substances

  • Prostaglandin-E Synthases
  • PTGES protein, human
  • Dinoprostone