CUR5g, a novel autophagy inhibitor, exhibits potent synergistic anticancer effects with cisplatin against non-small-cell lung cancer

Autophagy, a highly conserved degradation process of eukaryotic cells, has been proven to be closely related to chemoresistance and metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Autophagy inhibitors, such as chloroquine (CQ) and its derivative hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), has been shown to mediate anticancer effects in preclinical models, especially when combined with chemotherapy. However, the vast majority of autophagy inhibitors, including CQ and HCQ, actually disrupt lysosomal or/and possibly non-lysosomal processes other than autophagy. It is therefore of great significance to discover more specific autophagy inhibitors. In this study, after screening a series of curcumin derivatives synthesized in our laboratory, we found that (3E,5E)-1-methyl-3-(4-hydroxybenzylidene)-5-(3-indolymethylene)-piperidine-4-one (CUR5g) selectively inhibited autophagosome degradation in cancer cells by blocking autophagosome-lysosome fusion. CUR5g did not affect the lysosomal pH and proteolytic function, nor did it disturb cytoskeleton. CUR5g blocked the recruitment of STX17, a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein, to autophagosomes via a UVRAG-dependent mechanism, resulting in the inability of autophagosomes to fuse with lysosomes. CUR5g alone did not induce apoptosis and necrosis of A549 cells, but significantly inhibited the mobility and colony formation of A549 cells. More excitingly, CUR5g showed no obvious toxicity to normal HUVECs in vitro or mice in vivo. CUR5g enhances the cisplatin sensitivity of A549 cells and effectively inhibited autophagy in tumor tissues in vivo. Collectively, our study identified a new late-stage autophagy inhibitor and provided a novel option for NSCLC treatment, particular when combined with cisplatin.