3-Bromopyruvate suppresses the malignant phenotype of vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells

(1) BRAF mutations are associated with high mortality and are a substantial factor in therapeutic decisions. Therapies targeting BRAF-mutated tumors, such as vemurafenib (PLX), have significantly improved the overall survival of melanoma patients. However, patient relapse and low response rates remain challenging, even with contemporary therapeutic alternatives. Highly proliferative tumors often rely on glycolysis to sustain their aggressive phenotype. 3-bromopyruvate (3BP) is a promising glycolysis inhibitor reported to mitigate resistance in tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of 3BP as an antineoplastic agent for PLX-resistant melanoma treatment. (2) The effect of 3BP alone or in combination with PLX on viability, proliferation, colony formation, cell death, migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal marker and metabolic protein expression, extracellular glucose and lactate, and reactive species were evaluated in two PLX-resistant melanoma cell lines. (3) 3BP treatment, which was more effective as monotherapy than combined with PLX, disturbed the metabolic and epithelial-mesenchymal profile of PLX-resistant cells, impairing their proliferation, migration, and invasion and triggering cell death. (4) 3BP monotherapy is a potent metabolic-disrupting agent against PLX-resistant melanomas, supporting the suppression of the malignant phenotype in this type of neoplasia.
This study was supported by FAPESP, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil (2015/25351-6; 2016/10821-0; 2016/13021-4; 2017/12620-4; 2019/14189-4), and CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brasil (309998/2019-0). São Paulo Research Foundation (2019/07502-8).