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Ye X, Wang L, Yang X, Yang J, Zhou J, Lan C, Kantawong F, Kumsaiyai W, Wu J, Zeng J. Integrated Chemical Characterization, Network Pharmacology and Transcriptomics to Explore the Mechanism of Sesquiterpenoids Isolated from Gynura divaricata (L.) DC. against Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:1435. [PMID: 36422564 PMCID: PMC9693606 DOI: 10.3390/ph15111435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a serious threat to human health, while drugs for CML are limited. Herbal medicines with structural diversity, low toxicity and low drug resistance are always the most important source for drug discoveries. Gynura divaricata (L.) DC. is a well-known herbal medicine whose non-alkaline ingredients (GD-NAIs) were isolated. The GD-NAIs demonstrated potential anti-CML activity in our preliminary screening tests. However, the chemical components and underlying mechanism are still unknown. In this study, GD-NAIs were tentatively characterized using UHPLC-HRMS combined with molecular networking, which were composed of 75 sesquiterpenoids. Then, the anti-CML activities of GD-NAIs were evaluated and demonstrated significant suppression of proliferation and promotion of apoptosis in K562 cells. Furthermore, the mechanism of GD-NAIs against CML were elucidated using network pharmacology combined with RNA sequencing. Four sesquiterpenoids would be the main active ingredients of GD-NAIs against CML, which could regulate PD-L1 expression and the PD-1 checkpoint pathway in cancer, PI3K/AKT, JAK/STAT, TGF-β, estrogen, Notch and Wnt signaling pathways. In conclusion, our study reveals the composition of GD-NAIs, confirms its anti-CML activity and elucidates their underlying mechanism, which is a potential countermeasure for the treatment of CML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan Ye
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Long Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Xin Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Jie Yang
- School of Basic Medical Science, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Faculty Associated Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Jie Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Cai Lan
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Fahsai Kantawong
- Faculty Associated Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Warunee Kumsaiyai
- Faculty Associated Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Jianming Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- School of Basic Medical Science, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Education Ministry Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Key Medical Laboratory of New Drug Discovery and Druggability Evaluation, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Key Laboratory of Activity Screening and Druggability Evaluation for Chinese Materia Medica, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Jing Zeng
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
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Wong KH, Yang D, Chen S, He C, Chen M. Development of Nanoscale Drug Delivery Systems of Dihydroartemisinin for Cancer Therapy: A Review. Asian J Pharm Sci 2022; 17:475-490. [PMID: 36105316 PMCID: PMC9459003 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajps.2022.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Mancuso RI, Foglio MA, Olalla Saad ST. Artemisinin-type drugs for the treatment of hematological malignancies. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2020; 87:1-22. [PMID: 33141328 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-020-04170-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Qinghaosu, known as artemisinin (ARS), has been for over two millennia, one of the most common herbs prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). ARS was developed as an antimalarial drug and currently belongs to the established standard treatments of malaria as a combination therapy worldwide. In addition to the antimalarial bioactivity of ARS, anticancer activities have been shown both in vitro and in vivo. Like other natural products, ARS acts in a multi-specific manner also against hematological malignancies. The chemical structure of ARS is a sesquiterpene lactone, which contains an endoperoxide bridge essential for activity. The main mechanism of action of ARS and its derivatives (artesunate, dihydroartemisinin, artemether) toward leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma cells comprises oxidative stress response, inhibition of proliferation, induction of various types of cell death as apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, and signal transducers, as NF-κB, MYC, amongst others. Therefore, new pharmaceutically active compounds, dimers, trimers, and hybrid molecules, could enhance the existing therapeutic alternatives in combating hematologic malignancies. Owing to the high potency and good tolerance without side effects of ARS-type drugs, combination therapies with standard chemotherapies could be applied in the future after further clinical trials in hematological malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- R I Mancuso
- Hematology and Hemotherapy Center, University of Campinas, HEMOCENTRO UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - M A Foglio
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - S T Olalla Saad
- Hematology and Hemotherapy Center, University of Campinas, HEMOCENTRO UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Yu R, Jin L, Li F, Fujimoto M, Wei Q, Lin Z, Ren X, Jin Q, Li H, Meng F, Jin G. Dihydroartemisinin inhibits melanoma by regulating CTL/Treg anti-tumor immunity and STAT3-mediated apoptosis via IL-10 dependent manner. J Dermatol Sci 2020; 99:193-202. [PMID: 32859456 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2020.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It has been shown that dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is effective in the treatment of malaria. Recently studies have demonstrated that DHA also regulates tumor cell growth, angiogenesis, T cell differentiation and generation. However, how DHA affects melanoma development remains poorly defined. OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of DHA on the proliferation and migration of melanoma in vivo and in vitro, and to explore its possible mechanism. METHODS B16F10 cells and melanoma-bearing BALB/c mice were used to investigate the effects of DHA on melanoma. RESULTS DHA had inhibitory effect on melanoma proliferation in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Treatment of DHA attenuated melanoma severity and histopathological changes in BALB/c mice. DHA also inhibited melanoma invasion, migration, and community formation in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry revealed a significant increase in IFN-γ+CD8+ T cells in the DHA groups. In tumor microenvironment and spleen, DHA induced expansion of CD8+CTL, while, CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and IL-10+CD4+CD25+ T cells were normalized by DHA treatment. DHA diminished expression of IL-10 and IL-6, and increased the expression of IFN-γ in the tumor and spleen. Moreover, DHA administration significantly promoted the mitochondrial apoptosis of melanoma by regulating the STAT3 pathway. CONCLUSION DHA induces mitochondrial apoptosis and alters cytokines expression by inhibiting the phosphorylation of STAT3. DHA improves anti-tumor immunity in mice through controlling CD8+CTL function by counteracting IL-10-dependent Treg cells suppression, which promises to be an alternative drug for melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Yu
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Linbo Jin
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Fangfang Li
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Manabu Fujimoto
- Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Laboratory of Cutaneous Immunology, Osaka UniversityImmunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka, Japan
| | - Qiang Wei
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Zhenhua Lin
- Department of Pathology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Xiangshan Ren
- Department of Pathology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Quanxin Jin
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Honghua Li
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Fanping Meng
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Guihua Jin
- Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China.
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Abstract
Artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives are one of the most important classes of antimalarial agents, originally derived from a Chinese medicinal plant called Artemisia annua L. Beyond their outstanding antimalarial and antischistosomal activities, ART and its derivatives also possess both in-vitro and in-vivo activities against various types of cancer. Their anticancer effects range from initiation of apoptotic cell death to inhibition of cancer proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis, and even modulation of the cell signal transduction pathway. This review provides a comprehensive update on ART and its derivatives, their mechanisms of action, and their synergistic effects with other chemicals in targeting leukemia cells. Combined with limited evidence of drug resistance and low toxicity profile, we conclude that ART and its derivatives, including dimers, trimers, and hybrids, might be a potential therapeutic alternative to current chemotherapies in combating leukemia, although more studies are necessary before they can be applied clinically.
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Chen X, Huang P, Wang J, Tian R, Chen Y, Chen Y, Zhang L, Ma Z. Identification of H 2S/NO-donating artemisinin derivatives as potential antileukemic agents. RSC Adv 2019; 10:501-511. [PMID: 35492518 PMCID: PMC9047252 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra08239e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Three H2S/NO-donating artemisinin derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their antiproliferative activities were evaluated against human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines of K562 and K562/ADR and human normal liver cells of LO2. Biological evaluation indicated that NO-donating compound 10c exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity against leukemia cells, similar to the bioactivity of clinical drug of homoharringtonine, but showed less toxicity than homoharringtonine against LO2 cells. Further mechanism studies revealed that 10c could enhance the levels of intracellular NO and ROS, induce apoptosis and S phase cell cycle arrest, and disturb the mitochondrial membrane potential in K562 and K562/ADR cells. Western blot results demonstrated that 10c noticeably promoted autophagy by up-regulating the levels of Beclin1 and L3-II expression, inhibited the AKT signaling, and stimulated the AMPK and JNK signaling in both leukemia cell lines. Overall, 10c exhibited the potential to be a promising candidate for the therapy of AML. Conjugate 10c exhibited potential antiproliferative activity against human acute myeloid leukemia cells.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuemei Chen
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University Chengdu 610041 PR China
| | - Pei Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis & Chiral Drug Synthesis of Guizhou Province, School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China .,Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education, Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China
| | - Runmei Tian
- Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China
| | - Yongzheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis & Chiral Drug Synthesis of Guizhou Province, School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China .,Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education, Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis & Chiral Drug Synthesis of Guizhou Province, School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China .,Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education, Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University Zunyi 563003 PR China
| | - Zhigui Ma
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University Chengdu 610041 PR China
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Zhang Y, Xu G, Zhang S, Wang D, Saravana Prabha P, Zuo Z. Antitumor Research on Artemisinin and Its Bioactive Derivatives. NATURAL PRODUCTS AND BIOPROSPECTING 2018; 8:303-319. [PMID: 29633188 PMCID: PMC6102173 DOI: 10.1007/s13659-018-0162-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is the leading cause of human death which seriously threatens human life. The antimalarial drug artemisinin and its derivatives have been discovered with considerable anticancer properties. Simultaneously, a variety of target-selective artemisinin-related compounds with high efficiency have been discovered. Many researches indicated that artemisinin-related compounds have cytotoxic effects against a variety of cancer cells through pleiotropic effects, including inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells, promoting apoptosis, inducing cell cycle arrest, disrupting cancer invasion and metastasis, preventing angiogenesis, mediating the tumor-related signaling pathways, and regulating tumor microenvironment. More importantly, artemisinins demonstrated minor side effects to normal cells and manifested the ability to overcome multidrug-resistance which is widely observed in cancer patients. Therefore, we concentrated on the new advances and development of artemisinin and its derivatives as potential antitumor agents in recent 5 years. It is our hope that this review could be helpful for further exploration of novel artemisinin-related antitumor agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guowei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shuqun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - P Saravana Prabha
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Zhili Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China.
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8
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From ancient herb to modern drug: Artemisia annua and artemisinin for cancer therapy. Semin Cancer Biol 2017; 46:65-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 341] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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9
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Cancer combination therapies with artemisinin-type drugs. Biochem Pharmacol 2017; 139:56-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2017.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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10
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Wong SM, Liu FH, Lee YL, Huang HM. MPT0B169, a New Antitubulin Agent, Inhibits Bcr-Abl Expression and Induces Mitochondrion-Mediated Apoptosis in Nonresistant and Imatinib-Resistant Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148093. [PMID: 26815740 PMCID: PMC4729476 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells that is caused by the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein. Clinical resistance to the Bcr-Abl inhibitor imatinib is a critical problem in treating CML. This study investigated the antitumor effect and mechanism of MPT0B169, a new antitubulin agent, in K562 CML cells and their derived imatinib-resistant cells, IMR2 and IMR3. IMR2 and IMR3 cells showed complete resistance to imatinib-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis. Resistance involved ERK1/2 overactivation and MDR1 overexpression. MPT0B169 inhibited the growth of K562, IMR2, and IMR3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. MPT0B169 substantially inhibited the mRNA and protein levels of Bcr-Abl, followed by its downstream pathways including Akt, ERK1/2, and STAT3 in these cells. MPT0B169 treatment resulted in a decrease in the polymer form of tubulin according to Western blot analysis. It triggered cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase before apoptosis, which was related to the upregulation of the mitotic marker MPM2 and the cyclin B1 level, and a change in the phosphorylation of Cdk1. MPT0B169 induced apoptosis in nonresistant and imatinib-resistant cells via a mitochondrion-mediated caspase pathway. Further study showed that the agent led to a decrease in the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 and an increase in the apoptotic protein Bax. Taken together, our results suggest that MPT0B169 might be a promising agent for overcoming imatinib resistance in CML cells.
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MESH Headings
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Apoptosis/drug effects
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
- Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/genetics
- Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic/drug effects
- Humans
- Imatinib Mesylate/pharmacology
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/pathology
- Mitochondria/drug effects
- Mitochondria/genetics
- Mitochondria/metabolism
- Mitochondria/pathology
- Sarcosine/analogs & derivatives
- Sarcosine/pharmacology
- Signal Transduction/drug effects
- Sulfonamides/pharmacology
- Tubulin Modulators/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuit-Mun Wong
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Hwa Liu
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yueh-Lun Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Huei-Mei Huang
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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Ge Y, Yang B, Xu X, Dai Q, Chen Z, Cheng R. Cryptotanshinone acts synergistically with imatinib to induce apoptosis of human chronic myeloid leukemia cells. Leuk Lymphoma 2014; 56:730-8. [PMID: 24884318 DOI: 10.3109/10428194.2014.928934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Imatinib resistance has emerged as a significant clinical problem in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment. In this study, we investigated the effect and mechanism of combination treatment with imatinib and cryptotanshinone (CPT) in CML cells. Cotreatment with imatinib and CPT showed a significant synergistic killing effect in both imatinib sensitive and resistant CML cell lines, as well as primary CML cells. Furthermore, combination treatment induced apoptosis significantly, as indicated by increases in apoptotic cell fraction and activities of proapoptotic proteins. Subsequent studies revealed that CPT significantly inhibited Bcr/Abl protein expression, as well as phosphorylation expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), which are critical mediators of Bcr/Abl transformation. Furthermore, CPT in combination with imatinib dramatically decreased the activity of the Bcr/Abl pathway in both K562 and K562-R cells. Our results demonstrated that CPT increased imatinib-induced apoptosis in a Bcr/Abl dependent manner, suggesting a novel strategy for the treatment of CML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Ge
- Zhejiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Singh H, Shelat AA, Singh A, Boulos N, Williams RT, Guy RK. A screening-based approach to circumvent tumor microenvironment-driven intrinsic resistance to BCR-ABL+ inhibitors in Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 19:158-67. [PMID: 23989453 DOI: 10.1177/1087057113501081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Signaling by the BCR-ABL fusion kinase drives Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Despite their clinical activity in many patients with CML, the BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors (BCR-ABL-KIs) imatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib provide only transient leukemia reduction in patients with Ph+ ALL. While host-derived growth factors in the leukemia microenvironment have been invoked to explain this drug resistance, their relative contribution remains uncertain. Using genetically defined murine Ph+ ALL cells, we identified interleukin 7 (IL-7) as the dominant host factor that attenuates response to BCR-ABL-KIs. To identify potential combination drugs that could overcome this IL-7-dependent BCR-ABL-KI-resistant phenotype, we screened a small-molecule library including Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs. Among the validated hits, the well-tolerated antimalarial drug dihydroartemisinin (DHA) displayed potent activity in vitro and modest in vivo monotherapy activity against engineered murine BCR-ABL-KI-resistant Ph+ ALL. Strikingly, cotreatment with DHA and dasatinib in vivo strongly reduced primary leukemia burden and improved long-term survival in a murine model that faithfully captures the BCR-ABL-KI-resistant phenotype of human Ph+ ALL. This cotreatment protocol durably cured 90% of treated animals, suggesting that this cell-based screening approach efficiently identified drugs that could be rapidly moved to human clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harpreet Singh
- 1Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
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