Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells, vs. non-cancer cells, elevates levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to higher oxidative stress. The elevated ROS levels suggest a vulnerability to excess prooxidant loads leading to selective cell death, a therapeutically exploitable difference. Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) an endogenous mitochondrial resident molecule, plays an important role in mitochondrial redox homeostasis, membrane integrity, and energy production. BPM31510 is a lipid-drug conjugate nanodispersion specifically formulated for delivery of supraphysiological concentrations of ubidecarenone (oxidized CoQ10) to the cell and mitochondria, in both in vitro and in vivo model systems. In this study, we sought to investigate the therapeutic potential of ubidecarenone in the highly treatment-refractory glioblastoma. Rodent (C6) and human (U251) glioma cell lines, and non-tumor human astrocytes (HA) and rodent NIH3T3 fibroblast cell lines were utilized for experiments. Tumor cell lines exhibited a marked increase in sensitivity to ubidecarenone vs. non-tumor cell lines. Further, elevated mitochondrial superoxide production was noted in tumor cells vs. non-tumor cells hours before any changes in proliferation or the cell cycle could be detected. In vitro co-culture experiments show ubidecarenone differentially affecting tumor cells vs. non-tumor cells, resulting in an equilibrated culture. In vivo activity in a highly aggressive orthotopic C6 glioma model demonstrated a greater than 25% long-term survival rate. Based on these findings we conclude that high levels of ubidecarenone delivered using BPM31510 provide an effective therapeutic modality targeting cancer-specific modulation of redox mechanisms for anti-cancer effects.