Targeting oxidative stress-related diseases: organochalcogen catalysts as redox sensitizers

Tumor cells proliferate under conditions of oxidative stress. A novel therapeutic approach would be to enhance the cellular effects of the reactive oxygen species formed under these conditions by supplementation with a redox catalyst. This provides a means to target and specifically destroy cancer cells via oxidation of redox-sensitive proteins, such as transcription factors, while leaving cells with a normal redox balance largely unaffected. We have previously reported a preliminary observation on the effects of pro-oxidant catalysts that enhance cancer cell death. This paper presents a detailed in vitro investigation into the mechanism of action of synthetic glutathione peroxidase mimics on a model Sp1 transcription factor peptide. The structure and redox potential of these mimics correlate with their ability to catalyze the oxidation of this zinc-binding motif by H2O2 and these compounds promise therapeutic potential by promoting H2O2-induced PC12 cell death.