OTSSP167 suppresses TNBC brain metastasis via ROS-driven P38/JNK and FAK/ERK pathways

The treatment of brain metastasis (BM) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has long been an unavoidable dilemma. Our research mainly explored the effect and mechanism of OTSSP167, a selective MELK inhibitor, against TNBC BM. Through experiments, we verified that OTSSP167 suppresses TNBC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while inducing apoptosis and G1-phase cell cycle arrest. Mechanistically, OTSSP167 triggers mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, which bifurcates into dual signaling modulation: activating the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) stress-response pathways and inhibiting the focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) pro-metastatic axis. ROS scavenging via N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reverses these effects, confirming ROS as the central mediator of antitumor activity of OTSSP167. In murine xenograft models, OTSSP167 administration inhibits primary tumor growth and BM without inducing hepatorenal toxicity. Notably, its efficacy in a brain-tropic metastasis model highlights that it can easily cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reach the tumor site to kill tumor cells. These findings unveil a redox-centric mechanism by which OTSSP167 disrupts TNBC progression, positioning it as a promising therapeutic candidate for combating TNBC BM. The study underscores the translational relevance of targeting MELK and ROS-dependent kinase networks to address unmet clinical needs in TNBC management.