E platinum, a newly synthesized platinum compound, induces apoptosis through ROS-triggered ER stress in gastric carcinoma cells.

Gastric cancer (GC) is still one of the leading causes of death in cancer-related diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the antitumor effect of E Platinum, a newly platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent bearing the basic structure of Oxaliplatin, in a variety of gastric carcinoma cells and the underlying mechanisms. We demonstrated that E Platinum significantly induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells via mitochondrial apoptotic pathway as a result of increased reactive oxygen species (ROS). We also found that E Platinum enhanced Ca2+ flux out from the endoplasmic reticulum by increasing the protein expression of IP3R type 1 (IP3R1) and decreasing the expression of ERp44. Dysfunction of Ca2+ homeostasis in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leads to accumulation of unfolded proteins and ER stress. Mechanically, E Platinum increased ER stress associated protein expression such as GRP78, p-PERK, p-eIF2α, ATF4, and CHOP. However, knocking down CHOP reversed E Platinum-induced apoptosis by blocking mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, 10 mg/kg of E Platinum significantly suppressed BGC-823 tumor growth in vivo without toxicity, which correlated with induction of apoptosis and expression of ER stress related proteins in tumor tissues. Taken together, E Platinum inhibited tumor growth and induced apoptosis by ROS-mediated ER stress activation both in vitro and in vivo. Our study indicated that E Platinum may be a potential and effective treatment for gastric cancer in clinical.