Browsing by Author "DeNicola, Gina M."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Health position paper and redox perspectives - Bench to bedside transition for pharmacological regulation of NRF2 in noncommunicable diseases
    (Elsevier, 2025) Cuadrado, Antonio; Cazalla, Eduardo; Bach, Anders; Bathish, Boushra; Naidu, Sharadha Dayalan; DeNicola, Gina M.; Dinkova-Kostova, Albena T.; Fernández-Ginés, Raquel; Grochot-Przeczek, Anna; Hayes, John D.; Kensler, Thomas W.; León, Rafael; Liby, Karen T.; López, Manuela G.; Manda, Gina; Shivakumar, Akshatha Kalavathi; Hakomäki, Henriikka; Moerland, Jessica A.; Motohashi, Hozumi; Rojo, Ana I.; Sykiotis, Gerasimos P.; Taguchi, Keiko; Valverde, Ángela M.; Yamamoto, Masayuki; Levonen, Anna-Liisa; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a redox-activated transcription factor regulating cellular defense against oxidative stress, thereby playing a pivotal role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Its dysregulation is implicated in the progression of a wide array of human diseases, making NRF2 a compelling target for therapeutic interventions. However, challenges persist in drug discovery and safe targeting of NRF2, as unresolved questions remain especially regarding its context-specific role in diseases and off-target effects. This comprehensive review discusses the dualistic role of NRF2 in disease pathophysiology, covering its protective and/or destructive roles in autoimmune, respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, as well as diseases of the digestive system and cancer. Additionally, we also review the development of drugs that either activate or inhibit NRF2, discuss main barriers in translating NRF2-based therapies from bench to bedside, and consider the ways to monitor NRF2 activation in vivo.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Inhibition of TXNRD or SOD1 overcomes NRF2-mediated resistance to β-lapachone
    (Elsevier, 2020-02) Torrente, Laura; Prieto-Farigua, Nicolas; Falzone, Aimee; Elkins, Cody M.; Boothman, David A.; Haura, Eric B.; DeNicola, Gina M.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Alterations in the NRF2/KEAP1 pathway result in the constitutive activation of NRF2, leading to the aberrant induction of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, including NQO1. The NQO1 bioactivatable agent β-lapachone can target cells with high NQO1 expression but relies in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are actively scavenged in cells with NRF2/KEAP1 mutations. However, whether NRF2/KEAP1 mutations influence the response to β-lapachone treatment remains unknown. To address this question, we assessed the cytotoxicity of β-lapachone in a panel of NSCLC cell lines bearing either wild-type or mutant KEAP1. We found that, despite overexpression of NQO1, KEAP1 mutant cells were resistant to β-lapachone due to enhanced detoxification of ROS, which prevented DNA damage and cell death. To evaluate whether specific inhibition of the NRF2-regulated antioxidant enzymes could abrogate resistance to β-lapachone, we systematically inhibited the four major antioxidant cellular systems using genetic and/or pharmacologic approaches. We demonstrated that inhibition of the thioredoxin-dependent system or copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) could abrogate NRF2-mediated resistance to β-lapachone, while depletion of catalase or glutathione was ineffective. Interestingly, inhibition of SOD1 selectively sensitized KEAP1 mutant cells to β-lapachone exposure. Our results suggest that NRF2/KEAP1 mutational status might serve as a predictive biomarker for response to NQO1-bioactivatable quinones in patients. Further, our results suggest SOD1 inhibition may have potential utility in combination with other ROS inducers in patients with KEAP1/NRF2 mutations.