Peroxiredoxin 1 as a novel pyroptosis inducer in colorectal cancer: Insights and future directions

This letter aims to comment on the paper by He et al , which investigated the role and mechanism of peroxiredoxin 1 (Prdx1) in colorectal cancer (CRC). In the original study, Prdx1 messenger RNA and protein levels were significantly increased in 60 clinical samples from CRC patients, in vitro cell experiments (RKO, SW480, HCT116 cells) and subcutaneous xenograft tumor mouse model. Recombinant Prdx1 (rPrdx1) inhibited the malignant behavior of RKO and SW480 cells, which was mechanistically shown to activate the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3/caspase-1/gasdermin D (GSDMD) pathway to induce pyroptosis. Consequently, this pyroptosis-based anti-tumor activity effectively inhibited the growth of CRC xenografts in mice. We commend the study’s scientific validity and innovation, the findings of which warrant further investigation into clinical translation, such as developing Prdx1/GSDMD co-expression markers and exploring rPrdx1-based combination therapies for advancing individualized CRC treatment.