Cationic amphiphilic drugs induce elevation in lysoglycerophospholipid levels and cell death in leukemia cells

Repurposing of cationic amphiphilic drugs (CADs) emerges as an attractive therapeutic solution against various cancers, including leukemia. CADs target lysosomal lipid metabolism and preferentially kill cancer cells via induction of lysosomal membrane permeabilization, but the exact effects of CADs on the lysosomal lipid metabolism remain poorly illuminated. We aimed to systematically monitor CAD-induced alterations in the quantitative lipid profiles of leukemia cell lines in order to chart effects of CADs on the metabolism of various lipid classes present in these cells. We conducted this study on eight cultured cell lines representing two leukemia types, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. Mass spectrometry-based quantitative shotgun lipidomics was employed to quantify the levels of around 400 lipid species of 26 lipid classes in the leukemia cell lines treated or untreated with a CAD, siramesine. The two leukemia types displayed high, but variable sensitivities to CADs and distinct profiles of cellular lipids. Treatment with siramesine rapidly altered the levels of diverse lipid classes in both leukemia types. These included sphingolipid classes previously reported to play key roles in CAD-induced cell death, but also lipids of other categories. We demonstrated that the treatment with siramesine additionally elevated the levels of numerous cytolytic lysoglycerophospholipids in positive correlation with the sensitivity of individual leukemia cell lines to siramesine. Our study shows that CAD treatment alters balance in the metabolism of glycerophospholipids, and proposes elevation in the levels of lysoglycerophospholipids as part of the mechanism leading to CAD-induced cell death of leukemia cells.