Ethacrynic acid butyl-ester induces apoptosis in leukemia cells through a hydrogen peroxide mediated pathway independent of glutathione S-transferase P1-1 inhibition.

Ethacrynic acid (EA), a glutathione S-transferase inhibitor and diuretic agent, inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in cancer cells. To improve the activities, the structure of EA has been modified, and it has been shown that EA esters had an increased cell growth inhibitory ability compared with nonesterified analogue. EA butyl-ester (EABE) was synthesized, and its apoptosis induction ability was studied. The efficacy of EABE was compared with that of EA, and the mechanisms of action were studied in HL-60 leukemia cells. EABE exhibited greater cell growth inhibitory and apoptosis induction abilities than did EA. EABE-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells correlated with increased levels of reactive oxygen species, the death receptor 5 (DR5), and caspase activation and decreased levels of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Pretreatment with antioxidants, either N-acetylcysteine or catalase, completely blocked EABE-induced apoptosis, H2O2 accumulation, and up-regulation of DR5 levels. RG19, a subclone of Raji cells stably transfected with a GSTpi expression vector, and K562 cells with high endogenous GSTP1-1 activity were less sensitive to EABE-induced apoptosis. EABE was more rapidly taken up than EA by HL-60 cells as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurements of intracellular concentrations. These results suggest that (a) H2O2 production is a mediator of EABE and EA-induced apoptosis; (b) GSTP1-1 plays a negative role in EABE and EA-induced apoptosis; and (c) the activity of EABE is greater than EA due to its more rapid entry into cells.