Abstract 542: Chronic gastroesophageal reflux promotes chemoresistance in esophageal adenocarcinoma through APE1-redox-dependent PRDX2 activation and ferroptosis inhibition
Authors: Lei Chen, Heng Lu, Farah Ballout, Dunfa Peng, Zheng Chen, Jianwen Que, Oliver G. McDonald, Alexander Zaika, Wael El-Rifai
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Abstract Background: The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is rapidly increasing in Western countries. Most EACs originate from Barrett’s esophagus (BE), a precancerous lesion initiated by chronic reflux of gastrointestinal contents, especially acidic bile salts (ABS). Several chemotherapeutics induce high reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels to eliminate tumor growth. Ferroptosis is a recently identified cell death mode triggered by ROS and subsequent lipid peroxidation. However, cancer cells develop adaptive abilities to recalibrate redox balance via hijacking the antioxidant systems, resulting in drug resistance. PRDX2 protein is a member of the peroxiredoxin family of antioxidant enzymes. We hypothesized that PRDX2 may be a critical mediator in redox-associated chemoresistance under reflux conditions. Methods: We analyzed RNA sequencing data and public databases to unveil the aberrant overexpression and potential chemoresistance function of PRDX2 in EAC. To simulate both acute and chronic clinical conditions of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in vitro, we employed transient and repeated ABS exposure (rABS). EAC cells and 3D organotypic culture (OTC) served as platforms to explore the anti-ferroptosis function and regulatory mechanisms of PRDX2. Our initial findings were validated in patient-derived xenografts (PDX), and human EAC tissue microarrays (TMA). Results: Aberrant expression of PRDX2 was detected in both human EAC tissues and cell lines exhibiting resistance to oxaliplatin treatment. Knockdown of PRDX2 impaired the recovery of EAC cells from ABS-induced ROS-dependent lipid peroxidation. Moreover, silencing PRDX2 sensitized the chemo-resistant EAC cells to oxaliplatin. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay identified that NF-kB activated PRDX2 transcription by directly binding to its promoter region. We also found that APE1-redox-mediated NF-kB activation is crucial for ABS-induced PRDX2. We further discovered that PRDX2 contributes to chemoresistance by upregulating GPX4 and suppressing ferroptosis. Furthermore, immunofluorescent staining in the 3D model (OTC) and immunohistochemistry staining in human TMA confirmed co-overexpression of APE1 and PRDX2. In addition, APX2009, an APE1-redox-specific inhibitor, significantly sensitized EAC cells to oxaliplatin by inhibiting PRDX2 expression and inducing ferroptosis. Notably, we observed synergistic effects of the combination of Oxaliplatin and APX2009 in the xenografts derived from a chemo-resistant EAC cell line. Conclusion: Our findings revealed a novel link between reflux-induced redox unbalance and ferroptosis-related chemoresistance in EAC via APE1/redox/NF-kB/PRDX2/GPX4 axis. Targeting PRDX2 by APE1-redox-specific inhibitors is a potential novel strategy for drug combination in refractory EAC. Citation Format: Lei Chen, Heng Lu, Farah Ballout, Dunfa Peng, Zheng Chen, Jianwen Que, Oliver G. McDonald, Alexander Zaika, Wael El-Rifai. Chronic gastroesophageal reflux promotes chemoresistance in esophageal adenocarcinoma through APE1-redox-dependent PRDX2 activation and ferroptosis inhibition [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 542.