P22077 enhances the antitumor efficacy of Cisplatin and its mechanism
Authors:   School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China, Qiu Jiahao , Ren Qianwen ,   School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China, Wang Yingjie ,   School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China, Xie Qunling ,   School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China, Liu Yanjie ,   School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China, Yu Pengfei ,   School of Public Health and Management & Institute of Toxicology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China, Wang Hongbo ,   School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China, Tian Jingwei ,   School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
Published: March 2022

Activation of DNA damage repair pathways in tumor cells may reduce the treatment efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents. Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) is one of the deubiquitinating enzymes that can remove the ubiquitin from target proteins and protect substrate proteins from degradation. Although ubiquitin-specific protease 7(USP7) is highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues and plays an important role in DNA damage repair, the role of USP7 inhibition in the antitumor efficacy of cisplatin remains unknown. This study explored the effects and mechanisms of a USP7 inhibitor P22077 on the anti-cervical cancer efficacy of cisplatin. In in vitro studies, P22077 and cisplatin both significantly reduced HeLa cell proliferation and colony formation, and the combination produced preferable effects. In in vivo xenograft tumor model, P22077 and cisplatin both demonstrated significant antitumor efficacy. The drug combination produced greater antitumor activity than the individual drug alone. Cisplatin evoked DNA damage repair-related molecules and P22077 tended to prevent this change. The drug combination produced higher cell death rate than the individual drug alone. Collectively, These results suggest that the USP7 inhibitor P22077 alone has significant antitumor efficacy and also can enhance the antitumor effects of cisplatin. The USP7 inhibitor P22077 combined with cisplatin may be an effective treatment strategy for cervical cancer.