Sulforaphane induces DNA damage and mitotic abnormalities in human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells: correlation with cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Osteosarcoma is a recalcitrant bone malignancy with poor responsiveness to treatments; therefore, new chemotherapeutic compounds are needed. Sulforaphane (SFN) has been considered a promising chemotherapeutic compound for several types of tumors by inducing apoptosis and cytostasis, but its effects (e.g., genotoxicity) in osteosarcoma cells remains exploratory. In this work, the MG-63 osteosarcoma cell line was exposed to SFN up to 20 µM for 24 and 48 h. SFN induced G2/M phase arrest and decreased nuclear division index, associated with disruption of cytoskeletal organization. Noteworthy, SFN induced a transcriptome response supportive of G2/M phase arrest, namely a decrease in Chk1- and Cdc25C-encoding transcripts, and an increase in Cdk1-encoding transcripts. After 48-h exposure, SFN at a dietary concentration (5 µM) contributed to genomic instability in the MG-63 cells as confirmed by increased number of DNA breaks, clastogenicity, and nuclear and mitotic abnormalities. The increased formation of nucleoplasmic bridges, micronuclei, and apoptotic cells positively correlated with loss of viability. These results suggest that genotoxic damage is an important step for SFN-induced cytotoxicity in MG-63 cells. In conclusion, SFN shows potential to induce genotoxic damage at low concentrations and such potential deserves further investigation in other tumor cell types.

Sulforaphane induces oxidative stress and death by p53-independent mechanism: implication of impaired glutathione recycling.

Sulforaphane (SFN) is a naturally-occurring isothiocyanate best known for its role as an indirect antioxidant. Notwithstanding, in different cancer cell lines, SFN may promote the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause cell death e.g. by apoptosis. Osteosarcoma often becomes chemoresistant, and new molecular targets to prevent drug resistance are needed. Here, we aimed to determine the effect of SFN on ROS levels and to identify key biomarkers leading to ROS unbalance and apoptosis in the p53-null MG-63 osteosarcoma cell line. MG-63 cells were exposed to SFN for up to 48 h. At 10 µM concentration or higher, SFN decreased cell viability, increased the%early apoptotic cells and increased caspase 3 activity. At these higher doses, SFN increased ROS levels, which correlated with apoptotic endpoints and cell viability decline. In exposed cells, gene expression analysis revealed only partial induction of phase-2 detoxification genes. More importantly, SFN inhibited ROS-scavenging enzymes and impaired glutathione recycling, as evidenced by inhibition of glutathione reductase (GR) activity and combined inhibition of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) gene expression and enzyme activity. In conclusion, SFN induced oxidative stress and apoptosis via a p53-independent mechanism. GPx expression and activity were found associated with ROS accumulation in MG-63 cells and are potential biomarkers for the efficacy of ROS-inducing agents e.g. as co-adjuvant drugs in osteosarcoma.

Cancer cell-autonomous contribution of type I interferon signaling to the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Some of the anti-neoplastic effects of anthracyclines in mice originate from the induction of innate and T cell-mediated anticancer immune responses. Here we demonstrate that anthracyclines stimulate the rapid production of type I interferons (IFNs) by malignant cells after activation of the endosomal pattern recognition receptor Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3). By binding to IFN-α and IFN-ß receptors (IFNARs) on neoplastic cells, type I IFNs trigger autocrine and paracrine circuitries that result in the release of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10). Tumors lacking Tlr3 or Ifnar failed to respond to chemotherapy unless type I IFN or Cxcl10, respectively, was artificially supplied. Moreover, a type I IFN-related signature predicted clinical responses to anthracycline-based chemotherapy in several independent cohorts of patients with breast carcinoma characterized by poor prognosis. Our data suggest that anthracycline-mediated immune responses mimic those induced by viral pathogens. We surmise that such 'viral mimicry' constitutes a hallmark of successful chemotherapy.