1.
Empagliflozin reduces oxidative stress through inhibition of the novel inflammation/NHE/[Na+]c/ROS-pathway in human endothelial cells.
Uthman, L, Li, X, Baartscheer, A, Schumacher, CA, Baumgart, P, Hermanides, J, Preckel, B, Hollmann, MW, Coronel, R, Zuurbier, CJ, et al
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. 2022;:112515
Abstract
Inflammation causing oxidative stress in endothelial cells contributes to heart failure development. Sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i's) were shown to reduce heart failure hospitalization and oxidative stress. However, how inflammation causes oxidative stress in endothelial cells, and how SGLT2i's can reduce this is unknown. Here we hypothesized that 1) TNF-α activates the Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) and raises cytoplasmatic Na+ ([Na+]c), 2) increased [Na+]c causes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and 3) empagliflozin (EMPA) reduces inflammation-induced ROS through NHE inhibition and lowering of [Na+]c in human endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) were incubated with vehicle (V), 10 ng/ml TNF-α, 1 µM EMPA or the NHE inhibitor Cariporide (CARI, 10 µM) and NHE activity, intracellular [Na+]c and ROS were analyzed. TNF-α enhanced NHE activity in HCAECs and HUVECs by 92% (p < 0.01) and 51% (p < 0.05), respectively, and increased [Na+]c from 8.2 ± 1.6 to 11.2 ± 0.1 mM (p < 0.05) in HCAECs. Increasing [Na+]c by ouabain elevated ROS generation in both HCAECs and HUVECs. EMPA inhibited NHE activity in HCAECs and in HUVECs. EMPA concomitantly lowered [Na+]c in both cell types. In both cell types, TNF α-induced ROS was lowered by EMPA or CARI, with no further ROS lowering by EMPA in the presence of CARI, indicating EMPA attenuated ROS through NHE inhibition. In conclusion, inflammation induces oxidative stress in human endothelial cells through NHE activation causing elevations in [Na+]c, a process that is inhibited by EMPA through NHE inhibition.
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ASCT2 (SLC1A5) is an EGFR-associated protein that can be co-targeted by cetuximab to sensitize cancer cells to ROS-induced apoptosis.
Lu, H, Li, X, Lu, Y, Qiu, S, Fan, Z
Cancer letters. 2016;(1):23-30
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Abstract
Therapeutic targeting of ASCT2, a glutamine transporter that plays a major role in glutamine uptake in cancer cells, is challenging because ASCT2 also has a biological role in normal tissues. In this study, we report our novel finding that ASCT2 is physically associated in a molecular complex with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is often overexpressed in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Furthermore, we found that ASCT2 can be co-targeted by cetuximab, an EGFR antibody approved for treating metastatic HNSCC. We demonstrated that cetuximab downregulated ASCT2 in an EGFR expression-dependent manner via cetuximab-mediated EGFR endocytosis. Downregulation of ASCT2 by cetuximab led to decreased intracellular uptake of glutamine and subsequently a decreased glutathione level. Cetuximab thereby sensitized HNSCC cells to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced apoptosis and, importantly, it is independent of effective inhibition of EGFR downstream signaling by cetuximab. In contrast, knockdown of EGFR by siRNA or inhibition of EGFR kinase with gefitinib, an EGFR kinase inhibitor, failed to sensitize HNSCC cells to ROS-induced apoptosis. Our findings support a novel therapeutic strategy for EGFR-overexpressing and cetuximab-resistant cancers by combining cetuximab with an oxidative therapy.