A Bioactivated Lepidium latifolium Formulation Disrupts Mitochondrial Bioenergetics and Metabolic Adaptation in KRAS-Mutant Cancer Cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are aggressive malignancies frequently driven by oncogenic Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations associated with metabolic reprogramming and resistance to apoptosis. In this study, we evaluated the antitumor and anti-inflammatory activity of a Lepidium latifolium L.-derived formulation (CTP) enriched in glucosinolate hydrolysis products in KRAS-mutant colorectal and pancreatic cancer models. The formulation was designed to promote the generation of the epithionitrile 1-cyano-2,3-epithiopropane (CETP) through iron-dependent myrosinase-mediated sinigrin hydrolysis. CTP induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity and morphological alterations consistent with apoptosis in KRAS-mutant cancer cell lines.

Treatment significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP production, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), indicating severe bioenergetic impairment. In parallel, CTP downregulated the metabolic and proliferative regulators C-myc, PKM2, GLUT1, and Cyclin E1. RNA-seq analysis revealed extensive transcriptional reprogramming associated with oxidative stress, metabolic adaptation, and cell-cycle regulation. In addition, CTP significantly suppressed nitric oxide, IL-6, and IL-8 production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.

These findings demonstrate that glucosinolate-derived metabolites from L. latifolium interfere with metabolic and inflammatory pathways critical for KRAS-driven tumor survival and support the therapeutic potential of Brassicaceae-derived epithionitriles as multitarget anticancer agents.