Nitric oxide-dependent cell death in glioblastoma and squamous cell carcinoma via prodeath mitochondrial clustering

Besides the fission–fusion dynamics, the cellular distribution of mitochondria has recently emerged as a critical biological parameter in regulating mitochondrial function and cell survival. We previously found that mitochondrial clustering on the nuclear periphery, or monopolar perinuclear mitochondrial clustering (MPMC), accompanies the anticancer activity of air plasma-activated medium (APAM) against glioblastoma and human squamous cell carcinoma, which is closely associated with oxidant-dependent tubulin remodeling and mitochondrial fragmentation. Accordingly, this study investigated the regulatory roles of nitric oxide (NO) in the anticancer activity of APAM. Time-lapse analysis revealed a time-dependent increase in NO accompanied by MPMC. In contrast, APAM caused minimal increases in MPMC and NO levels in nontransformed cells. NO, hydroxyl radicals, and lipid peroxide levels increased near the damaged nuclear periphery, possibly within mitochondria. NO scavenging prevented tubulin remodeling, MPMC, perinuclear oxidant production, nuclear damage, and cell death. Conversely, synthetic NO donors augmented all the prodeath events and acted synergistically with APAM. Salinomycin, an emerging drug against multidrug-resistant cancers, had similar NO-dependent effects. These results suggest that APAM and salinomycin induce NO-dependent cell death, where MPMC and oxidative mitochondria play critical roles. Our findings encourage further investigations on MPMC as a potential target for NO-driven anticancer agents against drug-resistant cancers.