4th Eurasia Biochemical Approaches & Technologies (EBAT) 2022, Antalya, Türkiye, 3 - 06 Kasım 2022, ss.124
TrxR1 (Thioredoxin reductase 1) is considered a double-edged sword as it maintains redox homeostasis
to protect cells against cancer development.1 However, TrxR1 is overexpressed in many species of
cancer, including lung cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed and leading cancer-related death
worldwide.2,3 In recent years, many studies have been carried out to investigate chemotherapeutic
agents obtained from new natural compounds and to determine their target proteins in cancer
treatments.
4,5 This research aimed to examine the TrxR1-targeted anticancer effect of lichen secondary
metabolite evernic acid on lung cancer (A549) cells. Here, the viability of evernic acid on A549 cells
was evaluated by cell proliferation (XTT) assay and the best IC50 value for evernic acid was determined
as 139.09±2.78 μg/mL at 24 h. The apoptotic effect of evernic acid on A549 cells was examined by flow
cytometry analysis using the Annexin V-FITC/PI kit. The results showed that evernic acid induced
apoptosis at a low rate. Wound healing assay results revealed that evernic acid significantly suppressed
migration at 6, 12, and 24 h in A549 cells (p<0.0001). The effects of evernic acid on protein expression
and enzymatic activity of TrxR1, the antioxidant system it targets in this anticancer effect on A549 cells,
were examined by western blot, and DTNB methods, respectively. The results showed that it
considerably reduced enzyme activity (p<0,0005), but had no significant effect at the protein level
(p>0,05). In conclusion, our findings suggest that evernic acid has an anti-migratory effect by targeting
TrxR1 in A549 cells and thus may be evaluated as a new chemotherapeutic agent.