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  2. Chemical induction of ferroptosis through GPX4 inhibition: Rational design of triazole-benzoxazine hybrids for melanoma therapy

Chemical induction of ferroptosis through GPX4 inhibition: Rational design of triazole-benzoxazine hybrids for melanoma therapy

  • Eur J Med Chem. 2026 Feb 5:303:118434. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2025.118434.
Bingbing Feng 1 Yuxin Chen 2 Haizhou Fu 3 Yufei Li 4 Jingjing Guo 4 Xixi Hou 5 Huibin Xu 6 Shuxiang Xu 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210046, China.
  • 2 Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
  • 3 School of Stomatology, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
  • 4 Centre for Artificial Intelligence Driven Drug Discovery, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao Special Administrative Region of China.
  • 5 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453007, China; The First Affiliated Hospital, and College of Clinical Medicine of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, 471003, China. Electronic address: lucyfly881104@163.com.
  • 6 Precision Research Center for Refractory Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Pioneer Research Institute for Molecular and Cell Therapies, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201620, China; State Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China. Electronic address: huibin.xu@shgh.cn.
  • 7 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201620, China; College of Health Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China. Electronic address: shuxiang.xu@shgh.cn.
Abstract

Melanoma, a highly metastatic Cancer with rising incidence, faces therapeutic challenges due to drug resistance and recurrence. In this study, we designed novel 1,2,3-triazole-benzoxazinone hybrids via pharmacophore hybridization to address these limitations. Lead compounds 3e and 4d demonstrated potent anti-melanoma activity, with IC50 values of 5.26 μM (3e) and 9.42 μM (4d) in A375 cells, and 8.9 μM (3e) and 3.63 μM (4d) in SK28 cells, respectively. Mechanistically, they induced Ferroptosis, a first-in-class mechanism for this scaffold, by downregulating SLC7A11, and GPX4, triggering ROS accumulation and lipid peroxidation-effects reversed by Ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1. Molecular docking confirmed direct binding to GPX4's active site via π-π stacking and hydrogen bonds, promoting its proteasomal degradation. Structural optimization enhanced selectivity: derivatives showed negligible toxicity in normal cells and murine models, achieving a 3-5-fold higher therapeutic index than conventional agents. This study pioneers a dual-functional scaffold hybridization strategy, merging synthetic innovation with Ferroptosis induction to overcome resistance. The robust efficacy, mechanistic clarity, and superior safety profile of 3e and 4d position them as transformative candidates for metastatic melanoma therapy, offering a novel approach to combat drug resistance and toxicity barriers.

Keywords

Ferroptosis; GPX4; Melanoma; Triazole-benzoxazine.

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