1-Hydroxy-8-methoxy-anthraquinon Reverses Cisplatin Resistance by Inhibiting 6PGD in Cancer Cells

Targeting 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) can inhibit cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. However, the relationship between 6PGD and cisplatin resistance still needs further study. Cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer OV2008 and C13* lines and lung cancer A549 and A549DDP lines were treated with different concentrations of cisplatin and cell viability was evaluated. We also compared the growth rates and the cell cycle distributions between cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant cells. The expression level of 6PGD was detected by immunoblotting. The Chou-Talalay method was used to evaluate the effect of a combination treatment using cisplatin and the small molecule inhibitor 1-Hydroxy-8-methoxy-anthraquinon (S3) that targets 6PGD. The cisplatin-resistant ovarian and lung cancer cell lines grew faster than the cisplatin- sensitive cell lines, with more cells in S and G2 phases in cisplatin-resistant cell lines. The expression level of 6PGD in cisplatin-resistant cell lines was significantly increased compared with cisplatin-sensitive cell lines. Furthermore, treatment of cells with the S3 small molecule inhibitor of 6PGD together with cisplatin could overcome cisplatin resistance. The expression level of 6PGD in cisplatin-resistant cells lines was significantly upregulated, and the resistance to cisplatin of drug-resistant cells lines could be overcome when treated with the small molecule inhibitor S3 that specifically targets 6PGD.