Unveiling the cytotoxicity of a new gold(I) complex towards hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting TrxR activity.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant type of liver cancer, is an aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic options. In this study, we assess a collection of newly designed gold(I) phosphine complexes. Remarkably, the compound GC002 exhibits the greatest toxicity to HCC cells and outperforms established medications, such as sorafenib and auranofin, in terms of antitumor efficacy. GC002 triggers irreversible necroptosis in HCC cells by increasing the intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mechanistically, GC002 significantly suppresses the activity of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), which plays a crucial role in regulating redox homeostasis and is often overexpressed in HCC by binding directly to the enzyme. Our in vivo xenograft study confirms that GC002 possesses remarkable antitumor activity against HCC without severe side effects. These findings not only highlight the novel mechanism of controlling necroptosis via TrxR and ROS but also identify GC002 as a promising candidate for the further development of antitumor agents targeting HCC.