Venetoclax confers synthetic lethality to chidamide in preclinical models with transformed follicular lymphoma.

May 05, 2025

Experts: Mengya Zhong,Guangchao Pan,Jinshui Tan,Jingwei Yao,Yating Liu,Jiewen Huang,Yuelong Jiang,Depeng Zhu,Jintao Zhao,Bing Xu,Jie Zha

Transformed follicular lymphoma (t-FL) is an aggressive and heterogeneous hematological malignancy with limited treatment success; the development of novel therapeutic approaches is urgently needed for patients with t-FL. Here, we conducted high-throughput screening (HTS) and in vitro experiments using t-FL cell lines and primary samples to assess the synergistic effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor chidamide and the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax. In vivo efficacy was further tested in xenograft models. The combination of venetoclax and chidamide significantly inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase across multiple t-FL cell lines. Furthermore, the combined therapy effectively reduced tumor burden, extended overall survival in xenograft models, and synergistically targeted patient samples, while sparing normal PBMCs. Mechanistically, this combination disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential and modulated the Wnt signaling pathway, as evidenced by decreased protein expression levels of Wnt3a, Wnt5a/b, β-catenin, and phosphorylated GSK3β. Concurrently, the combined regimen enhanced their respective anticancer effects by inhibiting the key genes HDAC10 and BCL-xL. Taken together, venetoclax combined with chidamide presents a potent anticancer strategy in preclinical models of t-FL and merits further exploration in clinical trials to validate its effectiveness and safety for treating t-FL.
© 2025. The Author(s).

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ABOUT THE EXPERTS

Mengya Zhong,Guangchao Pan,Jinshui Tan,Jingwei Yao,Yating Liu,Jiewen Huang,Yuelong Jiang,Depeng Zhu,Jintao Zhao,Bing Xu,Jie Zha

Mengya Zhong

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, People’s Republic of China.

Guangchao Pan

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, People’s Republic of China.

Jinshui Tan

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, School of Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, People’s Republic of China.

Jingwei Yao

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Yating Liu

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Jiewen Huang

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, People’s Republic of China.

Yuelong Jiang

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Depeng Zhu

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China.

Jintao Zhao

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China. zhaojintao737@163.com.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China. zhaojintao737@163.com.

Bing Xu

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China. xubing@xmu.edu.cn.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China. xubing@xmu.edu.cn.

Jie Zha

Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China. zhajie@xmu.edu.cn.

Key Laboratory of Xiamen for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Malignancy, No. 55, Shizhen Hai Road, Xiamen, 361003, People’s Republic of China. zhajie@xmu.edu.cn.