Metastatic prostate cancer cells are highly sensitive to 3-bromopyruvic acid

Abstract Aims 3-Bromopyruvate (3-BP), an alkylating agent and a glycolytic inhibitor, is a promising anticancer agent, which can be efficient also against multidrug-resistant cancer cells. The aim of this study was to examine how 3-BP affects the survival and mobility of rat (MAT-LyLu and AT-2) and human (DU-145 and PC-3) metastatic prostate cancer cell lines. Main methods Cytotoxicity was estimated with Neutral Red. Cell mobility was analyzed by time-lapse microscopic monitoring of trajectories of individual cells at 5-min intervals for 6 h. ATP was estimated with luciferin/luciferase and glutathione (GSH) with o -phthalaldehyde. Actin cytoskeleton was visualized with phalloidin conjugated with Atto-488. Key findings All metastatic prostate cell lines studied were very sensitive to 3-BP (IC 50 of 4–26 μM). 3-Bromopyruvate drastically reduced cell movement even at concentrations of 5–10 μM after 1 h treatment. This compound depleted also cellular ATP and GSH, and disrupted actin cytoskeleton. Significance The data obtained suggest that 3-BP can potentially be useful for treatment of metastatic prostate cancer and, especially, be efficient in limiting metastasis.