Zerumbone increases oxidative stress in a thiol-dependent ROS-independent manner to increase DNA damage and sensitize colorectal cancer cells to radiation.

Locally advanced rectal cancers are treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery. In a minority (~20%) of patients, no tumor is present at the time of surgery; these patients with a complete pathologic response (pathCR) to neoadjuvant therapy have better treatment outcomes. Unfortunately, the inherent radioresistance of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells dictates that the majority of patients do not achieve a pathCR. Efforts to improve these odds have fueled the search for novel, relatively less-toxic radiosensitizers with distinct molecular mechanism(s) and broad-spectrum anticancer activities. Here, we use zerumbone, a sesquiterpene from the edible ginger (Zingiber zerumbet Smith), to enhance radiosensitivity of CRC cells. Short exposure to zerumbone (7 h) profoundly sensitized CRC cells, independent of their p53 or k-RAS status. Zerumbone enhanced radiation-induced cell cycle arrest (G2/M), increased radiation-induced apoptosis, but induced little apoptosis by itself. Zerumbone significantly enhanced radiation-induced DNA damage, as evident by delayed resolution of post-irradiation nuclear γH2AX foci, whereas zerumbone treatment alone did not induce γH2AX foci formation. Zerumbone pretreatment inhibited radiation-induced nuclear expression of DNA repair proteins ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and DNA-PKcs. Interestingly, zerumbone-mediated radiosensitization did not involve reactive oxygen species (ROS), but was mediated through depletion of cellular glutathione (GSH). Ability of only thiol-based antioxidants to abrogate zerumbone-mediated radiosensitization further corroborated this hypothesis. The α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl group in zerumbone was found to be essential for its bioactivity as zerumbone analog α-Humulene that lacks this functional group, could neither radiosensitize CRC cells, nor deplete cellular GSH. Our studies elucidate novel mechanism(s) of zerumbone's ability to enhance CRC radiosensitivity.

Superoxide dismutase 3 dysregulation in a murine model of neonatal lung injury.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common chronic respiratory disease that occurs after premature birth, is believed to be secondary to oxidative damage from hyperoxia and inflammation, which leads to impaired alveolar formation and chronic lung dysfunction. We hypothesized that extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD)3, an antioxidant uniquely targeted to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and alveolar fluid, might have a different response (down-regulation) to hyperoxic injury and recovery in room air (RA), thereby contributing to the persistent airspace injury and inflammation. We used a murine BPD model using postnatal hyperoxia (O2) (4 or 5 d) followed by short-term recovery (14 d) in RA, which mimics the durable effects after injury during alveolar development. This was associated with significantly increased mRNA expression for antioxidant genes mediated by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) in the O2 (n = 4) versus RA group (n = 5). SOD3, an Nrf2-independent antioxidant, was significantly reduced in the O2-exposed mice compared with RA. Immunohistochemistry revealed decreased and disrupted SOD3 deposition in the alveolar ECM of O2-exposed mice. Furthermore, this distinct hyperoxic antioxidant and injury profile was reproducible in murine lung epithelial 12 cells exposed to O2. Overexpression of SOD3 rescued the injury measures in the O2-exposed cells. We establish that reduced SOD3 expression correlates with alveolar injury measures in the recovered neonatal hyperoxic lung, and SOD3 overexpression attenuates hyperoxic injury in an alveolar epithelial cell line. Such findings suggest a candidate mechanism for the pathogenesis of BPD that may lead to targeted interventions.