Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a programmed pathway leading to cell death and promotion of immunological responses. Melanoma is resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT). Disulfiram (DSF), which forms complexes with copper (Cu), has been shown to induce ICD of many tumor types. Here, we aim to investigate whether DSF/Cu combined with irradiation (IR) can induce ICD and exert anti-cancer effects in melanoma. In vitro experiments, treatment of MV3 and B16F10 melanoma cells with DSF/Cu + IR significantly increased the cellular apoptosis and increased ICD markers: damage-associated molecular pattern molecule (DAMP) exposure and release, including calreticulin cell surface expression, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) release, and decreased intracellular ATP levels. In addition, DSF/Cu combined with IR treatment inhibited tumor growth and enhanced tumor-infiltrating immune cells in the B16F10-bearing C57BL/6 model. Our findings reveal that combining IR with DSF/Cu induces ICD and inhibits tumor growth in melanoma, providing a promising strategy to overcome the inherent resistance of RT in melanoma.
DOI: 10.3390/ijms27020980
Authors: Enwen Wang, Yida Zhang, Lin Jia, Zunwen Lin, Ting Sun, Pan Hu, Kun Wang, Zikun Shang, Wei Guo, Juliann G. Kiang, Xinhui Wang
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,499
OpenAlex ID: W7124982075