Investigating the Thioredoxin and Glutathione Systems’ Response in Lymphoma Cells after Treatment with [Au(d2pype)2]Cl

Lymphoma is a blood cancer comprising various subtypes. Although effective therapies are available, some patients fail to respond to treatment and can suffer from side effects. Antioxidant systems, especially the thioredoxin (Trx) and glutathione (GSH) systems, are known to enhance cancer cell survival, with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) recently reported as a potential anticancer target. Since the GSH system can compensate for some Trx system functions, we investigated its response in three lymphoma cell lines after inhibiting TrxR activity with [Au(d2pype)2]Cl, a known TrxR inhibitor. [Au(d2pype)2]Cl increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and induced caspase-3 activity leading to cell apoptosis through inhibiting both TrxR and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) activity. Expression of the tumour suppresser gene TXNIP increased, while GPX1 and GPX4 expression, which are related to poor prognosis of lymphoma patients, decreased. Unlike SUDHL2 and SUDHL4 cells, which exhibited a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio after treatment, in KMH2 cells the ratio remained unchanged, while glutathione reductase and glutaredoxin expression increased. Since KMH2 cells were less sensitive to treatment with [Au(d2pype)2]Cl, the GSH system may play a role in protecting cells from apoptosis after TrxR inhibition. Overall, our study demonstrates that inhibition of TrxR represents a valid therapeutic approach for lymphoma.