A research team at Bundang CHA Hospital has developed a treatment to inhibit the growth of Poly(rC)-binding protein 1 (PCBP1) gene for treating head and neck cancer resistant to existing anticancer drugs.
When inhibiting the PCBP1 gene, a phenomenon called ferroptosis cell death appears. Recent research has suggested this phenomenon, which induces apoptosis by generating free radicals using iron through lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane, as an essential mechanism for cancer cell death.
The team, led by Professor Noh Jong-ryul of the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, conducted basic research on a treatment to overcome resistant cancer using ferroptosis cell death.
The research team found that the PCBP1 gene, closely involved in iron (Fe) metabolism and autophagy interference, activates cancer cells and inhibits ferroptosis cell death, contributing to treatment resistance. They then observed the change in cancer cells by dividing into two groups -- PCBP1 gene suppressed and PCBP1 gene non-suppressed.
As a result, the researchers confirmed that the PCBP1 gene suppressed group content of autophagy and intracellular unsaturated fat increased compared to the group that did not suppress the PCBP1 gene, creating an environment that induces ferroptosis cell death.
Such actions increased the cancer treatment rate by up to 70 percentage points.
The research team stressed that the study revealed that the PCBP1 gene is the leading cause of resistant cancer. Cancer cells do not die well by reducing iron incomplete in cancer cells, interfering with iron metabolism, and suppressing ferroptosis cell death.
“The study confirmed that cancer cell death by increasing ferroptosis cell death using PCBP1 gene suppression could become a new treatment strategy for resistant cancer,” Professor Noh said. “We expect further research to show that the method effectively treats intractable cancer such as head and neck cancer and solid cancer.”
Redox Biology published the result of the study.