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2'-hydroxyflavanone (2HF) is a dietary flavonoid with anticancer activity towardsmultiple cancers. Here, we report that topically applied 2HF inhibits the growth of intradermalimplants of melanoma in immunocompetent mice. 2HF induced apoptosis and inhibited the growthof the human SK-MEL-24 as well as murine B16-F0 and B16-F10 melanoma cell lines in vitro.Apoptosis was associated with depletion of caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP1 in B16-F0 and SKMEL-24 cells. Caspase-9 and MEKK-15 were undetected even in untreated B16-F10 cells. Signalingproteins TNFα, and phospho-PDGFR-β were depleted in all three cell lines; MEKK-15 was depletedby 2HF in SK-MEL-24 cells. 2HF enhanced sunitinib (an MEK and PDGFR-β inhibitor) and AZD2461 (a PARP1 inhibitor) cytotoxicity. 2HF also depleted the Ral-regulated, stress-responsive,antiapoptotic endocytic protein RLIP76 (RALBP1), the inhibition of which has previously beenshown to inhibit B16-F0 melanoma growth in vivo. Functional inhibition of RLIP76 was evidentfrom inhibition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) endocytosis by 2HF. We found that topicallyapplied 2HF-Pluronic Lecithin Organogel (PLO) gel inhibited B16-F0 and B16-F10 tumorsimplanted in mice and caused no overt toxicity despite significant systemic absorption. 2HFtreatment reduced phospho-AKT, vimentin, fibronectin, CDK4, cyclinB1, and BCL2, whereas itincreased BIM and phospho-AMPK in excised tumors. Several cancer signals are controlled byendocytosis, a process strongly inhibited by RLIP76 depletion. We conclude that 2HF-PLO gel maybe useful for topical therapy of cutaneous metastases of melanoma and could enhance theantineoplastic effects of sunitinib and PARP1 inhibitors. The mechanism of action of 2HF inmelanoma overlaps with RLI76 inhibitors., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The alpha class glutathione s-transferase (GST) isozyme GSTA4-4 (EC2.5.1.18) exhibits high catalytic efficiency to-wards 4-hydroxynon-2-enal (4-HNE), a major end product of oxidative stress induced lipid peroxidation. Exposure of cells and tissues to heat, radiation, and chemicals has been shown to induce oxidative stress resulting in elevated concentrations of 4-HNE that can be detrimental to cell survival. Alternatively, at physiological levels 4-HNE acts as a signaling molecule conveying the occurrence of oxidative events initiating the activation of adaptive pathways. To examine the impact of oxidative/electrophilic stress in a model with impaired 4-HNE metabolizing capability, we disrupted the Gsta 4 gene that encodes GSTA4-4 in mice. The effect of electrophile and oxidants on embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) isolated from wild type (WT) and Gsta 4 null mice were examined. Results indicate that in the absence of GSTA4-4, oxidant-induced toxicity is potentiated and correlates with elevated accumulation of 4-HNE adducts and DNA damage. Treatment of Gsta 4 null MEF with 1,1,4-tris(acetyloxy)-2(E)-nonene [4-HNE(Ac) 3 ], a pro-drug form of 4-HNE, resulted in the activation and phosphorylation of the c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK 1/2) and p38 mitogen activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) accompanied by enhanced cleavage of caspase-3. Interestingly, when recombinant mammalian or invertebrate GSTs were delivered to Gsta 4 null MEF, activation of stress-related kinases in 4-HNE(Ac) 3 treated Gsta 4 null MEF were inversely correlated with the catalytic efficiency of delivered GSTs towards 4-HNE. Our data suggest that GSTA4-4 plays a major role in protecting cells from the toxic effects of oxidant chemicals by attenuating the accumulation of 4-HNE.