Amodiaquine Enhances Anti‐Melanoma Efficacy of Attenuated <i>Salmonella</i> via Targeting Glutathione Reductase in Neutrophils
Attenuated Salmonella VNP20009 (VNP) induces significant neutrophil recruitment in the tumor microenvironment (TME) during cancer therapy. However, the exact role of neutrophils in VNP-mediated antitumor effects remains elusive. Here, we first identified the recruited neutrophils as predominantly N2 (pro-tumor) subtype, which remarkably compromised VNP's antitumor efficacy. Therefore, we combined amodiaquine (AQ), known for its neutrophil-inhibiting activity, with VNP treatment to enhance antitumor effects. The combination selectively inhibited TME neutrophils while maintaining favorable biosafety profiles. Employing chemical biology approaches, we identified glutathione reductase (GR) as the key target in neutrophils. Mechanistically, AQ binds to GR and compromises neutrophils' ROS tolerance, leading to selective elimination of neutrophils in the high-ROS TME. A GR-shRNA-loaded VNP strain was further engineered and significantly potentiated VNP's antimelanoma effects. Our work not only advances the understanding of VNP-immune-tumor crosstalk but also provides a potential translational strategy that integrates drug repurposing with synthetic biology for developing microenvironment-smart therapeutics.
Authors
- Heng Liu
- Lin Weng
- Jiqiang Lu
- Shaokai Huang
- Anni Yu
- Xiao Chen
- Wanfa Dong
- Zehan Ji
- Chengxi Li
- Zichun Hua
- Peiqi Li
- Danni Liu
- Tianyi Jiang
- Chunyuan Zhao
Institutions
- China Pharmaceutical University (CN)
- Jiangsu University of Technology (CN)
- Dali University (CN)
- Henan Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-01-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202515009
- Primary Topic
- Cancer Research and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00