1. Academic Validation
  2. Discovery of rafoxanide as a novel agent for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

Discovery of rafoxanide as a novel agent for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

  • Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 13;13(1):693. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-27403-y.
Ankang Hu # 1 Jing Liu # 2 Yonghui Wang # 3 Maoyin Zhang 4 Yao Guo 3 Ying Qin 1 Tingya Liu 5 Yanjuan Men 6 Quangang Chen 7 8 Tingjun Liu 9
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Center of Animal Laboratory, Xuzhou Medical University, No. 209 Tongshan Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
  • 2 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xuzhou Central Hospital, No. 199 Jiefang South Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
  • 3 School of Life Sciences, Xuzhou Medical University, No. 209 Tongshan Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
  • 4 Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University. No, 99 Huaihai West Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
  • 5 Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, No. 99 Huaihai West Road, Xuzhou, China.
  • 6 Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, No. 88 Chunhui Road, Lianyungang, China.
  • 7 Center of Animal Laboratory, Xuzhou Medical University, No. 209 Tongshan Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China. [email protected].
  • 8 School of Life Sciences, Xuzhou Medical University, No. 209 Tongshan Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China. [email protected].
  • 9 Center of Animal Laboratory, Xuzhou Medical University, No. 209 Tongshan Road, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China. [email protected].
  • # Contributed equally.
Abstract

Non-small cell lung Cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for approximately 85% of all lung Cancer cases, is associated with a poor outcome. Rafoxanide is an anthelmintic drug that inhibits tumor growth in certain malignancies. However, its impact on NSCLC remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effect of rafoxanide on NSCLC and dissected the underlying mechanism. The results showed that rafoxanide significantly inhibited the growth, invasion, and migration of NSCLC cells. Besides, rafoxanide can induce NSCLC cell Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in a dose-dependent manner. RNA-seq analysis revealed that genes associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER) stress responses were activated. Mechanistically, we found Rafoxanide can induce ER stress and activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). Apoptosis was activated by excessive ER stress, and Autophagy was activated to partially alleviate ER stress. In vivo, we found that rafoxanide inhibited the growth of A549 and H1299 xenograft mouse models without severe side effects. Collectively, the present study indicates that rafoxanide may be a candidate drug for the treatment of NSCLC.

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