查看文章

Due to its potent anticancer activity, there is interest in repurposing of the FDA-approved anti-alcoholism drug, disulfiram (DSF). DSF forms potent complexes with copper (DSF/Cu) that induce apoptosis of many types of cancer cells. Here, we investigated the role of DSF/Cu in autophagy, a mechanism of cell death or survival, and its interplay with DSF/Cu induced apoptosis of human pancreatic and breast cancer cells. Levels of autophagy and apoptosis were assessed by Western blot, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analysis. Cell viability was measured by MTT assays. Activation of inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)-mRNA X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) pathway and spliced XBP1 (XBP1s) expression were analyzed by Western blot, Phos-tag gel assay, RT-PCR, qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. The apoptosis induced by DSF/Cu in pancreatic and breast cancer cells is autophagy …