A Class of Disulfide Compounds Suppresses Ferroptosis by Stabilizing GPX4

ACS Chem Biol. 2022 Dec 16;17(12):3389-3406. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00445. Epub 2022 Nov 29.

Abstract

Ferroptosis is a nonapoptotic form of cell death characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and has been implicated in multiple pathological conditions. Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) plays an essential role in inhibiting ferroptosis by eliminating lipid peroxide using glutathione (GSH) as a reductant. In this study, we found Ellman's reagent DTNB and a series of disulfide compounds, including disulfiram (DSF), an FDA-approved drug, which protect cells from erastin-induced ferroptosis. Mechanistically, DTNB or DSF is conjugated to multiple cysteine residues in GPX4 and disrupts GPX4 interaction with HSC70, an adaptor protein for chaperone mediated autophagy, thus preventing GPX4 degradation induced by erastin. In addition, DSF ameliorates concanavalin A induced acute liver injury by suppressing ferroptosis in a mouse model. Our work reveals a novel regulatory mechanism for GPX4 protein stability control. We also discover disulfide compounds as a new class of ferroptosis inhibitors and suggest therapeutic repurposing of DSF in treating ferroptosis-related diseases.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Disulfides* / pharmacology
  • Disulfiram / pharmacology
  • Dithionitrobenzoic Acid
  • Ferroptosis* / drug effects
  • Glutathione / metabolism
  • Lipid Peroxidation / physiology
  • Mice
  • Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase* / drug effects
  • Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase* / metabolism
  • Sulfides

Substances

  • Disulfides
  • Dithionitrobenzoic Acid
  • Glutathione
  • Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase
  • Sulfides
  • glutathione peroxidase 4, mouse
  • Disulfiram