Resistance to FOXM1 inhibitors in breast cancer is accompanied by impeding ferroptosis and apoptotic cell death.

Purpose: Cancer treatments often become ineffective because of acquired drug resistance. To characterize changes in breast cancer cells accompanying development of resistance to inhibitors of the oncogenic transcription factor, FOXM1, we investigated the suppression of cell death pathways, especially ferroptosis, in FOXM1 inhibitor-resistant cells. We also explored whether ferroptosis activators can synergize with FOXM1 inhibitors and can overcome FOXM1 inhibitor resistance.

Methods: In estrogen receptor-positive and triple-negative breast cancer cells treated with FOXM1 inhibitor NB73 and ferroptosis activators dihydroartemisinin and JKE1674, alone and in combination, we measured suppression of cell viability, motility, and colony formation, and monitored changes in gene and protein pathway expressions and mitochondrial integrity.

Results: Growth suppression of breast cancer cells by FOXM1 inhibitors is accompanied by increased cell death and alterations in mitochondrial morphology and metabolic activity. Low doses of FOXM1 inhibitor strongly synergize with ferroptosis inducers to reduce cell viability, migration, colony formation, and expression of proliferation-related genes, and increase intracellular Fe⁺² and lipid peroxidation, markers of ferroptosis. Acquired resistance to FOXM1 inhibition is associated with increased expression of cancer stem-cell markers and proteins that repress ferroptosis, enabling cell survival and drug resistance. Notably, resistant cells are still sensitive to growth suppression by low doses of ferroptosis activators, effectively overcoming the acquired resistance.

Conclusion: Delineating changes in viability and cell death pathways that can overcome drug resistance should be helpful in determining approaches that might best prevent or reverse resistance to therapeutic targeting of FOXM1 and ultimately improve patient clinical outcomes.