Inhibition of tumor growth by an alkylation of the plasma membrane

Membrane Interactions of Phytochemicals as Their Molecular Mechanism Applicable to the Discovery of Drug Leads from Plants

In addition to interacting with functional proteins such as receptors, ion channels, and enzymes, a variety of drugs mechanistically act on membrane lipids to change the physicochemical properties of biomembranes as reported for anesthetic, adrenergic, cholinergic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antitumor, antiplatelet, antimicrobial, and antioxidant drugs. As well as these membrane-acting drugs, bioactive plant components, phytochemicals, with amphiphilic or hydrophobic structures, are presumed to interact with biological membranes and biomimetic membranes prepared with phospholipids and cholesterol, resulting in the modification of membrane fluidity, microviscosity, order, elasticity, and permeability with the potencies being consistent with their pharmacological effects. A novel mechanistic point of view of phytochemicals would lead to a better understanding of their bioactivities, an insight into their medicinal benefits, and a strategic implication for discovering drug leads from plants. This article reviews the membrane interactions of different classes of phytochemicals by highlighting their induced changes in membrane property. The phytochemicals to be reviewed include membrane-interactive flavonoids, terpenoids, stilbenoids, capsaicinoids, phloroglucinols, naphthodianthrones, organosulfur compounds, alkaloids, anthraquinonoids, ginsenosides, pentacyclic triterpene acids, and curcuminoids. The membrane interaction’s applicability to the discovery of phytochemical drug leads is also discussed while referring to previous screening and isolating studies.

Membrane composition modulates the interaction between a new class of antineoplastic agents deriving from aromatic 2-chloroethylureas and lipid bilayers: a solid-state NMR study

We have investigated the interaction between a new class of antineoplastic agents derived from arylchloroethylureas (CEU) with three different model membranes by (31)P and (2)H solid-state NMR spectroscopy. First, we have prepared model membranes that mimic the mitochondrial inner (Mito IM) and outer (Mito OM) membranes and the endoplasmic reticulum membrane (End Ret). Our results indicate that the effects of the CEU derivatives on lipid bilayers are related to their cytotoxic activity. More specifically, a strong correlation is observed between the drug location in both the mitochondrial inner and outer membranes and its cytotoxicity. In addition, the results indicate that the lipid composition of the model membrane has a very important influence on the effects of CEUs. More specifically, a high proportion of cardiolipin in the mitochondrial inner membrane gives this system the highest fluidity and consequently, this model membrane is more rigidified by the presence of CEUs compared to the mitochondrial outer and endoplasmic reticulum membranes. Finally, the results propound a hypothesis for the location of CEUs in membranes.

Relative molecular similarity in selected chemical carcinogens and the nucleoside triphosphate chain

Several markers of cell toxicity are useful as screening tests for epigenetic carcinogens. The direct effects of chemicals on ATPase and GTPase function are pertinent to the early stages of carcinogenesis. Interference with triphosphate-diphosphate exchange mechanisms may result from the interaction of carcinogens with the substrate triphosphate chain. To investigate this hypothesis, a computational chemistry programme is used in this study to investigate molecular similarity in ATPase inhibitors, carcinogens and tumour promoters, in relation to the nucleoside triphosphate chain. The results show that atoms in the investigated molecular structures superimpose on sets of oxygen atoms in the triphosphate chain with interatomic distances < 0.3A. Relative molecular similarity to the substrate triphosphate chain is discussed in terms of the established inhibitory properties of carcinogens/tumour promoters on ATPase function, the carcinogen/ tumour promoting properties of ATPase inhibitors and the prediction of carcinogenic activity from chemical structure.

Membrane interactions of a new class of anticancer agents derived from arylchloroethylurea: a FTIR spectroscopic study

We have investigated the interaction between a new class of antineoplastic agents derived from arylchloroethylurea (CEU) and different lipids such as dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) in the absence and presence of 30 mol% of cholesterol, dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) and a mixture made of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) and DMPC by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results indicate that the drugs incorporate in the bilayer and cause a decrease of the phase transition temperature and an increase of the conformational disorder of the lipid acyl chains. These effects are dependent on the nature (degree of branching, length of the alkyl chain and presence of a sulfur atom), as well as on the position of the R substituent and are related to the cytotoxicity of the drugs. More specifically, the more cytotoxic drugs, such as 4-sec-butyl CEU, are those having a bulky branched substituent and those for which the disordering effect on the lipid bilayer is the greatest. On the other hand, the disordering effect is small for the long chain CEUs, such as 4-n-hexadecyl CEU, which have been shown to have weak cytotoxic activity.

A morphological study of the effect of chlorambucil during the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle of synchronized HEp-2 cancer cell populations using computerized morphometry

Chlorambucil, a bisalkylating agent, used extensively in the treatment of autoimmune and neoplastic diseases, is known to affect DNA synthesis. However recent studies have revealed that it also affects the synthesis of other nuclear protein constituents, especially histones. Since histones play a major role in both the structural and functional integrity of chromatin, we have analyzed the morphological effects of this agent, using low dose conditions and synchronized populations of HEp-2 cancer cells in the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Analyses at the light and electron microscopy levels were undertaken using synchronous image analysis techniques. Computerized morphometry was used so as to evaluate various nuclear and cytological morphological parameters. It was found that chlorambucil affects the organization of chromatin, as well as other cellular parameters in a manner characteristic of decreased tumor aggressiveness. A finding of significance in this study was that chlorambucil exerted its influence on all these morphological parameters only when treatment was initiated at the beginning of the S phase and not during the second half of the S phase or the G2 phase.

Enhanced levels of cyclic AMP, adenosine(5')tetraphospho(5')adenosine and nucleoside 5'-triphosphates in mouse leukemia P388/D1 after treatment with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II)

As part of the exploration of the mechanism of platinum(II) complex-induced growth inhibition and/or cytotoxicity, we studied the intracellular levels of several nucleotides during treatment of mouse leukemia P388/D1 at selected concentrations of 1 microM cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cis-DDP) and 20 microM of its trans-isomer (trans-DDP). The effects and their time-dependences are correlated with those on cell growth parameters previously published (Just G and Holler E, Cancer Res 49: 7072-7078, 1989). The effects of cis-DDP are strong and irreversible, whereas those of trans-DDP are marginal and reversible, in parallel with similar effects on cell growth parameters. Concentrations of nucleoside 5'-di- and 5'-triphosphates increase in parallel with cellular DNA and protein content by three- to four-fold after 60 hr of treatment. The nucleoside monophosphates dAMP, dGMP and dTMP reveal concentration maxima during exponential cell growth that are two- to six-fold higher than in the control cultures. Levels of cyclic AMP, adenosine(5')tetraphospho(5')adenosine (Ap4A) and CDP rise three- to five-fold above those in the control cultures within a few hours of the start of treatment. The level of coenzyme NAD+ falls below that of the control, concomitantly with an arrest of cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle and with the appearance of giant cells. Due to the high reactivity of cis-DDP and the continuous concentration increase during the treatment, purine nucleoside 5'-triphosphates provide a possibility for the acquisition of resistance to cis-DDP. The correlation of responses of metabolically and regulatory active nucleotides with biological effects suggests their function in antitumorigenesis.

Differential sensitivity of histone acetylation in nitrogen-mustard sensitive and resistant cells. Relation to drug uptake, formation and repair of DNA-interstrand cross-links

Cultivation of Ehrlich-ascites tumor cells in the presence of N-mustard leads to a selection of cells with a defective choline carrier. As N-mustard employs the choline carrier for transport, this results in reduced drug uptake and in a decrease in drug sensitivity which is specific for N-mustard. Walker carcinoma cells with a stable pleiotropic resistance to a variety of alkylating agents and adriamycin exhibit no evidence for an impaired drug transport and show the same frequency of DNA-interstrand cross-links as the sensitive parental line. Both sensitive and resistant Walker cells exhibit equal capacities for repair of N-mustard induced DNA-interstrand cross-links. The inhibition of histone acetylation by N-mustard, however, was found to be significantly lower in the resistant Walker or Ehrlich cells compared to sensitive counterparts. Although the difference between N-mustard concentrations leading to half maximal inhibition of histone acetylation in sensitive and resistant cells is considerably smaller than the difference between N-mustard doses required for half maximal inhibition of cell proliferation the data suggest that--besides DNA-DNA cross-linking--the inhibition of histone acetylation has to be considered as an important alternative mechanism responsible for the cytotoxic activity of alkylating agents. Inhibition of histone acetylation is not due an accelerated deacetylation and is predominantly expressed in chromatin fractions soluble in 0.1 M NaCl after digestion with micrococcal nuclease.

Basis and new developments in the field of oxazaphosphorines

All the research results summarized herein were gained in the attempt to improve selectivity in cancer chemotherapy: "Chemotherapeutic agents are not only ends in themselves, they are also beginnings,. . . Selectivity must be our goal and understanding its basis our guide to the future" (138). The development of the OAP cytostatics CP, IFO, TRO, and SUFO derives from the idea of applying the principle of transport form/active form to the highly reactive nitrogen mustard compounds. The desired conversion of the reactive nitrogen mustard into an inactive transport form (latentiation) was performed by chemical synthesis. The requirement for an enzymatic activation of the transport form to give the active form in the target organ cancer cell was met and has been shown to occur in a sequence of various metabolic reactions. The goal of a substantial increase in the therapeutic range of alkylating agents has been achieved with the development of the OAP cytostatics. The higher cancerotoxic selectivity is closely correlated with the cytotoxic specificity of their activated primary metabolites. A further increase in the cancerotoxic selectivity in OAPs was achieved by the development of mesna as a regional uroprotector. Mesna eliminates the danger of therapy-limiting urotoxic side effects of OAPs, allowing administration of higher dosages and more safely optimizing their therapeutic efficacy and partly overcoming resistance phenomena. The stabilization of the primary OAP metabolites (MAFO), opens up new possibilities in clinical therapy and in preclinical tests, for examination in the clonogenic stem cell test, for in vitro purging in ABMT, and for the regional therapy of tumors. A completely new type of therapy is emerging for OAP, specifically for low-dosage MAFO, as an immunomodulator, under certain circumstances, in combination with further substances, from the biological response modifier group.

Nitrogen mustard interference with potassium transport systems in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

Nitrogen mustard (N-mustard) inhibits the ouabain-sensitive and the furosemide-sensitive Rb uptake of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, whereas the transport, which is resistant to both inhibitors, is not affected by the alkylating agent. At N-mustard concentrations below 10 microM, the reduction in Rb uptake is predominantly due to an interference with the furosemide-sensitive system. The dose response curve for the inhibition by N-mustard of the furosemide-sensitive Rb uptake closely parallels the dose response curve for the anti-tumor activity of the alkylating drug. This is in contrast to the behaviour of the ouabain-sensitive Rb transport. The inhibition of the furosemide-sensitive Rb uptake is expressed much less in cells which are resistant to N-mustard. The recovery of the furosemide-sensitive transport system after a single exposure to N-mustard is relatively slow and characterized by an initial 4 h lag period, whereas the repair of DNA-interstrand cross-links starts immediately after removal of the drug. At mM concentrations furosemide blocks the multiplication of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. However, lower concentrations of furosemide which cause a 50% reduction in the furosemide-sensitive Rb uptake do not interfere with cell proliferation. This is in contrast to the behaviour of N-mustard which exerts a clear-cut depression of cell growth at concentrations leading to a 50% inhibition of the furosemide-sensitive Rb transport. It is concluded, therefore, that the inhibition of the furosemide-sensitive system alone is not sufficient to explain the anti-tumor activity of the alkylating agent. The effect is discussed as part of a more extended N-mustard-induced membrane alteration which may be important for the growth inhibitory effect of the alkylating agent.

Effects of nitrogen mustard on potassium transport systems and membrane structure of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

By Ehrlich ascites tumor cells 86Rb+ has been shown to be a suitable tracer for K+-transport. Sixty percent of the total 86Rb-uptake into these cells is ouabain-inhibitable, 30% is sensitive to furosemide and 10% enters the cells by ouabain and furosemide-insensitive systems. N-Mustard inhibits both the ouabain-sensitive and the furosemide-inhibitable systems. The uptake which is resistant to both inhibitors is not affected by the alkylating drug. At N-mustard concentrations below 10 microM, the reduction of the Rb-uptake is predominantly due to the inhibition of the furosemide-sensitive transport. Higher concentrations are required before a significant inhibition of the ouabain-sensitive transport can be observed. The dose response curve of the furosemide-sensitive transport--not, however, of the ouabain inhibitable pump--corresponds to the dose response curve for the antiproliferative activity of N-mustard. The recovery of the furosemide-sensitive transport after a single exposure to N-mustard is relatively slow and--in contrast to the repair of DNA cross-links--is characterized by an initial 4-hr lag period. Furosemide alone does not interfere with cell multiplication. The inhibition of the transport system alone does, therefore, not explain the antitumor activity of N-mustard. The effect is discussed as a marker for membrane lesions after exposure to alkylating agents. In order to investigate the influence of N-mustard on membrane structure, membranes were labelled with diiodofluoresceiniodoacetamide. Anisotropy curves obtained from time-dependent depolarization of delayed fluorescence indicated a mustard induced immobilization of membrane constituents. Lateral diffusion of lipophilic probes was determined by following the quenching of fluorescence of pyrene by cetylpyridinium. The latter studies yielded no evidence for a change in membrane lipid fluidity. The data are interpreted as the results of cross-links of membrane proteins by the bifunctional alkylating agent.

Plasma membrane as target of alkylating agents

N mustard resistant Walker cells exhibit the same frequency of DNA interstrand cross-links and the same rate of cross-link removal as the sensitive parental line. Employing cytostatically active concentrations of chlorambucil covalently bound to polyethyleneimine, the extent of DNA cross-linking is reduced to levels observed in the presence of nontoxic concentrations of free chlorambucil. It is concluded, therefore, that DNA cross-links alone are not sufficient to explain the inhibition of cell multiplication by alkylating agents and that additional mechanisms have to be considered. Evidence for an interference of alkylating agents with several enzymes of the plasma membrane is presented. An inhibition by N mustard of the furosemide-sensitive Na+/K+/Cl- -cotransport and the Na+/H+-antiport is described in greater detail. Considering the fact that the enzymes which are affected by alkylating agents are controlled by growth factors it was investigated whether a synergism between inhibitors of early growth-factor-controlled reactions and alkylating agents is to be seen. It is demonstrated that mepacrine, an inhibitor of phospholipase C, and the calmodulin binding drugs, chlorpromazine and flunarizine, amplify the action of N mustard.

Depression of histone acetylation by alkylating antitumor agents: significance for antitumor activity and possible biological consequences

Treatment of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells with the alkylating antitumor agents triaziquonum, N-mustard and cyclophosphamide leads to a reduction in the posttranslational incorporation of 3H-acetate into histones and the extent of histone acetylation in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. All core histones are affected. The depression of histone acetylation is not the result of a decrease in acetyl-CoA. Evidence is presented for an activation of histone deacetylase by alkylating agents. A reduction of histone deacetylation is observed after exposure to all concentrations of alkylating agents which inhibit cell proliferation. In order to evaluate the biological consequences of a reduction of histone acetylation, the extent of acetylation was modulated by either chemical acetylation or treatment with butyrate. In all cases an increase in histone acetylation leads to an enhancement of the rate of transcription. In accord with previous reports from our laboratory (1), it is concluded that the reduction of histone acetylation affects RNA synthesis. It is emphasized, however, that besides a regulation of transcription, histone acetylation may be involved in other cell functions. Thus, the complete biological consequences of the reduction of histone acetylation remain to be elucidated. In view of the antitumor activity of the alkylating agents it seems noteworthy that hepatoma AS30D cells are characterized by a remarkably higher extent of histone H4-acetylation compared to normal, adult, fetal, or regenerating liver.