Pentoxifylline and Norcantharidin Modify p62 Expression in 2D and 3D Cultures of B16F1 Cells

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2024-05, Vol.25 (10), p.5140
• Main Authors: González-Quiroz, José Luis, Ocampo-Godínez, Juan Moisés, Hernández-González, Victoria Noemi, Lezama, Ruth Angélica, Reyes-Maldonado, Elba, Vega-López, Armando, Domínguez-López, María Lilia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3D cultures; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Apoptosis; Autophagy; Autophagy - drug effects; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic - pharmacology; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Cell culture; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell Line, Tumor; Chemotherapy; Drugs; Endoplasmic reticulum; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Health aspects; Medical prognosis; Melanoma; Melanoma, Experimental - drug therapy; Melanoma, Experimental - metabolism; Melanoma, Experimental - pathology; Metastasis; Mice; Morphology; p62; Pentoxifylline; Pentoxifylline - pharmacology; Proteins; Sequestosome-1 Protein - genetics; Sequestosome-1 Protein - metabolism; Spheroids; Spheroids, Cellular - drug effects; Spheroids, Cellular - metabolism; Tumors
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105140

Three-dimensional cell cultures have improved the evaluation of drugs for cancer therapy, due to their high similarity to solid tumors. In melanoma, autophagy appears to show a dual role depending on the progression of the disease. p62 protein has been proposed for the evaluation of autophagic flux since its expression is an indicator of the state of autophagy. Pentoxifylline (PTX) and Norcantharidin (NCTD) are drugs that have been shown to possess anticancer effects. In this work, we used B16F1 mouse melanoma cells in two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures and three-dimensional (3D) spheroids to test the effect of PTX and NCTD over the p62 expression. We analyzed the effect on p62 expression through Western blot and immunofluorescence assays. Our results indicate that PTX decreases p62 expression in both cell culture models, while Norcantharidin increases its expression in 3D cultures at 24 h. Therefore, these drugs could have a potential therapeutic use for the regulation of autophagy in melanoma, depending on the state of evolution of the disease.