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Konopleva M, Milella M, Ruvolo P, Watts JC, Ricciardi MR, Korchin B, Teresa M, Bornmann W, Tsao T, Bergamo P, Mak DH, Chen W, McCubrey J, Tafuri A, Andreeff M. Retraction Note: MEK inhibition enhances ABT-737-induced leukemia cell apoptosis via prevention of ERK-activated MCL-1 induction and modulation of MCL-1/BIM complex. Leukemia 2024; 38:2072. [PMID: 39025987 PMCID: PMC11420930 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-024-02339-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- M Konopleva
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - M Milella
- Division of Medical Oncology A, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - P Ruvolo
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - J C Watts
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - M R Ricciardi
- Hematology, Department of Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - B Korchin
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - McQueen Teresa
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - William Bornmann
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - T Tsao
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - P Bergamo
- Division of Medical Oncology A, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - D H Mak
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - W Chen
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - J McCubrey
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - A Tafuri
- Hematology, Department of Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - M Andreeff
- Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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2
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Tarr J, Salovich JM, Aichinger M, Jeon K, Veerasamy N, Sensintaffar JL, Arnhof H, Samwer M, Christov PP, Kim K, Wunberg T, Schweifer N, Trapani F, Arnold A, Martin F, Zhao B, Miriyala N, Sgubin D, Fogarty S, Moore WJ, Stott GM, Olejniczak ET, Engelhardt H, Rudolph D, Lee T, McConnell DB, Fesik SW. Discovery of a Myeloid Cell Leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) Inhibitor That Demonstrates Potent In Vivo Activities in Mouse Models of Hematological and Solid Tumors. J Med Chem 2024; 67:14370-14393. [PMID: 39102508 PMCID: PMC11345828 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) is a key regulator of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Overexpression of Mcl-1 is correlated with high tumor grade, poor survival, and both intrinsic and acquired resistance to cancer therapies. Herein, we disclose the structure-guided design of a small molecule Mcl-1 inhibitor, compound 26, that binds to Mcl-1 with subnanomolar affinity, inhibits growth in cell culture assays, and possesses low clearance in mouse and dog pharmacokinetic (PK) experiments. Evaluation of 26 as a single agent in Mcl-1 sensitive hematological and solid tumor xenograft models resulted in regressions. Co-treatment of Mcl-1-sensitive and Mcl-1 insensitive lung cancer derived xenografts with 26 and docetaxel or topotecan, respectively, resulted in an enhanced tumor response. These findings support the premise that pro-apoptotic priming of tumor cells by other therapies in combination with Mcl-1 inhibition may significantly expand the subset of cancers in which Mcl-1 inhibitors may prove beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- James
C. Tarr
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - James M. Salovich
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Martin Aichinger
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - KyuOk Jeon
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Nagarathanam Veerasamy
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - John L. Sensintaffar
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Heribert Arnhof
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Samwer
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Plamen P. Christov
- Molecular
Design and Synthesis Center, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37323-0146, United States
| | - Kwangho Kim
- Molecular
Design and Synthesis Center, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37323-0146, United States
| | - Tobias Wunberg
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Norbert Schweifer
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Francesca Trapani
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Allison Arnold
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Florian Martin
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Nagaraju Miriyala
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Danielle Sgubin
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Stuart Fogarty
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - William J. Moore
- Leidos
Biomedical Research, Frederick National
Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21701-4907, United States
| | - Gordon M. Stott
- Leidos
Biomedical Research, Frederick National
Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21701-4907, United States
| | - Edward T. Olejniczak
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Harald Engelhardt
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dorothea Rudolph
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Taekyu Lee
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Darryl B. McConnell
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephen W. Fesik
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
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3
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Farruggia G, Anconelli L, Galassi L, Voltattorni M, Rossi M, Lodeserto P, Blasi P, Orienti I. Nano-fenretinide demonstrates remarkable activity in acute promyeloid leukemia cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13737. [PMID: 38877119 PMCID: PMC11178801 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64629-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by rearrangements of the retinoic acid receptor, RARα, which makes all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) highly effective in the treatment of this disease, inducing promyelocytes differentiation. Current therapy, based on ATRA in combination with arsenic trioxide, with or without chemotherapy, provides high rates of event-free survival and overall survival. However, a decline in the drug activity, due to increased ATRA metabolism and RARα mutations, is often observed over long-term treatments. Furthermore, dedifferentiation can occur providing relapse of the disease. In this study we evaluated fenretinide, a semisynthetic ATRA derivative, encapsulated in nanomicelles (nano-fenretinide) as an alternative treatment to ATRA in APL. Nano-fenretinide was prepared by fenretinide encapsulation in a self-assembling phospholipid mixture. Physico-chemical characterization was carried out by dinamic light scattering and spectrophotometry. The biological activity was evaluated by MTT assay, flow cytometry and confocal laser-scanning fluorescence microscopy. Nano-fenretinide induced apoptosis in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL60) by an early increase of reactive oxygen species and a mitochondrial potential decrease. The fenretinide concentration that induced 90-100% decrease in cell viability was about 2.0 µM at 24 h, a concentration easily achievable in vivo when nano-fenretinide is administered by oral or intravenous route, as demonstrated in previous studies. Nano-fenretinide was effective, albeit at slightly higher concentrations, also in doxorubicin-resistant HL60 cells, while a comparison with TK6 lymphoblasts indicated a lack of toxicity on normal cells. The results indicate that nano-fenretinide can be considered an alternative therapy to ATRA in acute promyelocytic leukemia when decreased efficacy, resistance or recurrence of disease emerge after protracted treatments with ATRA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Farruggia
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
- Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
- National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Via Delle Medaglie d'Oro 305, 00136, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Anconelli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lucrezia Galassi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
- Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Manuela Voltattorni
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Martina Rossi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
- Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Pietro Lodeserto
- Section of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Blasi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
- Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Isabella Orienti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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4
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Wu D, Li Y, Zheng L, Xiao H, Ouyang L, Wang G, Sun Q. Small molecules targeting protein-protein interactions for cancer therapy. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023; 13:4060-4088. [PMID: 37799384 PMCID: PMC10547922 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are fundamental to many biological processes that play an important role in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases. Targeting the interaction between tumour-related proteins with emerging small molecule drugs has become an attractive approach for treatment of human diseases, especially tumours. Encouragingly, selective PPI-based therapeutic agents have been rapidly advancing over the past decade, providing promising perspectives for novel therapies for patients with cancer. In this review we comprehensively clarify the discovery and development of small molecule modulators of PPIs from multiple aspects, focusing on PPIs in disease, drug design and discovery strategies, structure-activity relationships, inherent dilemmas, and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Defa Wu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Lang Zheng
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Huan Xiao
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Liang Ouyang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Guan Wang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Qiu Sun
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- West China Medical Publishers, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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5
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Natural Products as Mcl-1 Inhibitors: A Comparative Study of Experimental and Computational Modelling Data. CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/chemistry4030067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The human myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein (hMcl-1) is an anti-apoptotic multi-partner protein, belonging to the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins. Studies have linked hMcl-1 alleviated expression with resistance to hemopoietic chemotherapeutics, which makes it a key drug target in blood cancers. However, most of the developed small- to medium-sized hMcl-1 inhibitors have typical off-target activity towards other members of the Bcl-2 family. To improve the hMcl-1 inhibitor design, especially exploring a suitable scaffold with pharmacophoric features, we focused on natural hMcl-1 inhibitors. To date, seven classes of natural compounds have been isolated, which display a low micromolar affinity for hMcl-1 and have limited biophysical studies. We screened hMcl-1 co-crystal structures, and identified nine co-crystal structures of hMcl-1 protein, which were later evaluated by multiple receptor conformations (which indicates that the differences between hMcl-1 in crystal structures are low (RMSD values between 0.52 and 1.13 Å, average RMSD of 0.638–0.888 Å, with a standard deviation of 0.102–0.185Å)), and multiple ligand conformations (which led to the selection of the PDB structure, 3WIX (RMSD value = 0.879 Å, standard deviation 0.116 Å), to accommodate various Mcl-1 ligands from a range of co-crystal PDB files) methods. Later, the three adopted docking methods were assessed for their ability to reproduce the conformation bound to the crystal as well as predict trends in Ki values based on calculated RMSD and docking energies. Iterative docking and clustering of the docked pose within ≤1.0 Å was used to evaluate the reproducibility of the adopted docking methods and compared with their experimentally determined hMcl-1 affinity data.
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6
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Jin P, Jiang J, Zhou L, Huang Z, Nice EC, Huang C, Fu L. Mitochondrial adaptation in cancer drug resistance: prevalence, mechanisms, and management. J Hematol Oncol 2022; 15:97. [PMID: 35851420 PMCID: PMC9290242 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01313-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance represents a major obstacle in cancer management, and the mechanisms underlying stress adaptation of cancer cells in response to therapy-induced hostile environment are largely unknown. As the central organelle for cellular energy supply, mitochondria can rapidly undergo dynamic changes and integrate cellular signaling pathways to provide bioenergetic and biosynthetic flexibility for cancer cells, which contributes to multiple aspects of tumor characteristics, including drug resistance. Therefore, targeting mitochondria for cancer therapy and overcoming drug resistance has attracted increasing attention for various types of cancer. Multiple mitochondrial adaptation processes, including mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrial metabolism, and mitochondrial apoptotic regulatory machinery, have been demonstrated to be potential targets. However, recent increasing insights into mitochondria have revealed the complexity of mitochondrial structure and functions, the elusive functions of mitochondria in tumor biology, and the targeting inaccessibility of mitochondria, which have posed challenges for the clinical application of mitochondrial-based cancer therapeutic strategies. Therefore, discovery of both novel mitochondria-targeting agents and innovative mitochondria-targeting approaches is urgently required. Here, we review the most recent literature to summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial stress adaptation and their intricate connection with cancer drug resistance. In addition, an overview of the emerging strategies to target mitochondria for effectively overcoming chemoresistance is highlighted, with an emphasis on drug repositioning and mitochondrial drug delivery approaches, which may accelerate the application of mitochondria-targeting compounds for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital and West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingwen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital and West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital and West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital and West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Edouard C Nice
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Canhua Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital and West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
| | - Li Fu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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7
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Synergistic apoptotic effect of Mcl-1 inhibition and doxorubicin on B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:2025-2036. [PMID: 35138523 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-07021-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) is a component of the Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic family that plays a key role in cell proliferation and differentiation. Despite tremendous improvements toward identification of the role of MCL-1 in leukemia progression, the functional significance and molecular mechanism behind the effect of MCL-1 overexpression on the proliferation of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) has not been clarified. In addition, less well appreciated is the effect of MCL-1 inhibition on the potentiation of doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in BCP-ALL cell lines. In the present study, we aimed to shed light on the anti-cancer properties of S63845, a potent Mcl-1 inhibitor, in BCP-ALL cell lines either alone or in combination with a chemotherapeutic drug. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mononuclear cells from patients with Pre-B ALL and BCP-ALL cell lines were treated with S63845 in presence or absence of doxorubicin, induction of apoptosis was evaluated using Annexin-V/PI staining kit. mRNA and protein expression levels were assessed by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Our results declared that inhibition of Mcl-1 impairs cell growth and induces apoptosis in pre-B ALL cells through activation of caspase-3 and up-regulation of a repertoire of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family. Additionally, S63845 acts synergically with doxorubicin to induce apoptosis in BCP-ALL cell lines. CONCLUSIONS Our data declared that MCL-1 inhibition alone or in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent is considered an appealing strategy for the induction of apoptosis in BCP-ALL cells.
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8
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Xi J, Yao L, Zhang R, Chen K, Li M, Zhang D, Cui M, Nie H, Wang P, Li X, Jiang R. 2-oxy-3-phenylacrylic acid derivatives as potent Mcl-1 inhibitors for treatment of cancer. RESULTS IN CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rechem.2022.100308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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9
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Xia YL, Wang JJ, Li SY, Liu Y, Gonzalez FJ, Wang P, Ge GB. Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of coumarins as potent Mcl-1 inhibitors for cancer treatment. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 29:115851. [PMID: 33218896 PMCID: PMC7855844 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) is a validated and attractive target for cancer therapy. Over-expression of Mcl-1 in many cancers allows cancer cells to evade apoptosis and contributes to their resistance to current chemotherapeutics. In this study, more than thirty coumarin derivatives with different substituents were designed and synthesized, and their Mcl-1 inhibitory activities evaluated using a fluorescence polarization-based binding assay. The results showed that the catechol group was a key constituent for Mcl-1 inhibitory activity of the coumarins, and methylation of the catechol group led to decreased inhibitory activity. The introduction of a hydrophobic electron-withdrawing group at the C-4 position of 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin, enhanced Mcl-1 inhibitory capacity, and a hydrophilic group in this position was unbeneficial to the inhibitory potency. In addition, the introduction of a nitrogen-containing group to the C-5 or C-8 position, which allowed an intramolecular hydrogen bond, was also unfavorable for Mcl-1 inhibition. Among all coumarins tested, 4-trifluoromethyl-6,7-dihydroxycoumarin (Cpd 4) displayed the most potent inhibitory activity towards Mcl-1 (Ki = 0.21 ± 0.02 μM, IC50 = 1.21 ± 0.56 μM, respectively), for which the beneficial effect on taxol resistance was also validated in A549 cells. A strong interaction between Cpd 4 and Mcl-1 in docking simulations further supported the observed potent Mcl-1 inhibition ability of Cpd 4. 3D-QSAR analysis of all tested coumarin derivatives further provides new insights into the relationships linking the inhibitory effects on Mcl-1 and the steric-electrostatic properties of coumarins. These findings could be of great value for medicinal chemists for the design and development of more potent Mcl-1 inhibitors for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang-Liu Xia
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, China; Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jing-Jing Wang
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, China
| | - Shi-Yang Li
- Analytical Central Laboratory, Shengyang Harmony Health Medical Laboratory Co Ltd, Shenyang 210112, China
| | - Yong Liu
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, China
| | - Frank J Gonzalez
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China; Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Guang-Bo Ge
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
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10
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Ugarte-Alvarez O, Muñoz-López P, Moreno-Vargas LM, Prada-Gracia D, Mateos-Chávez AA, Becerra-Báez EI, Luria-Pérez R. Cell-Permeable Bak BH3 Peptide Induces Chemosensitization of Hematologic Malignant Cells. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2020; 2020:2679046. [PMID: 33312200 PMCID: PMC7721494 DOI: 10.1155/2020/2679046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Hematologic malignancies such as leukemias and lymphomas are among the leading causes of pediatric cancer death worldwide, and although survival rates have improved with conventional treatments, the development of drug-resistant cancer cells may lead to patient relapse and limited possibilities of a cure. Drug-resistant cancer cells in these hematologic neoplasms are induced by overexpression of the antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) protein families, such as Bcl-XL, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1. We have previously shown that peptides from the BH3 domain of the proapoptotic Bax protein that also belongs to the Bcl-2 family may antagonize the antiapoptotic activity of the Bcl-2 family proteins, restore apoptosis, and induce chemosensitization of tumor cells. Furthermore, cell-permeable Bax BH3 peptides also elicit antitumor activity and extend survival in a murine xenograft model of human B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, the activity of the BH3 peptides of the proapoptotic Bak protein of the Bcl-2 family against these hematologic malignant cells requires further characterization. In this study, we report the ability of the cell-permeable Bak BH3 peptide to restore apoptosis and induce chemosensitization of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cell lines, and this event is enhanced with the coadministration of cell-permeable Bax BH3 peptide and represents an attractive approach to improve the patient outcomes with relapsed or refractory hematological malignant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Ugarte-Alvarez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Oncological Diseases, Children's Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Paola Muñoz-López
- Unit of Investigative Research on Oncological Diseases, Children's Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
- Posgrado en Biomedicina y Biotecnología Molecular, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, Mexico
| | - Liliana Marisol Moreno-Vargas
- Research Unit on Computational Biology and Drug Design, Children's Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Diego Prada-Gracia
- Research Unit on Computational Biology and Drug Design, Children's Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Armando Alfredo Mateos-Chávez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Oncological Diseases, Children's Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Elayne Irene Becerra-Báez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Oncological Diseases, Children's Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
- Posgrado en Biomedicina y Biotecnología Molecular, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, Mexico
| | - Rosendo Luria-Pérez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Oncological Diseases, Children's Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
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11
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Negi A, Murphy PV. Development of Mcl-1 inhibitors for cancer therapy. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 210:113038. [PMID: 33333396 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.113038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein (Mcl-1) is an anti-apoptotic protein of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family, which regulates cellular apoptosis. Mcl-1 expression plays a key role in survival of cancer cells and therefore serves as a promising target in cancer therapy. Besides, its importance as a cancer target, various peptides and small-molecule inhibitors have been successfully designed and synthesized, yet no Mcl-1 inhibitor is approved for clinical use. However, recent development on the understanding of Mcl-1's role in key cellular processes in cancer and an upsurge of reports highlighting its association in various anticancer drug resistance supports the view that Mcl-1 is a key target in various cancers, especially hematological cancers. This review compiles structures of a variety of inhibitors of Mcl-1 reported to date. These include inhibitors based on a diverse range of heterocycles (e.g. indole, imidazole, thiophene, nicotinic acid, piperazine, triazine, thiazole, isoindoline), oligomers (terphenyl, quaterpyridine), polyphenol, phenalene, anthranilic acid, anthraquinone, macrocycles, natural products, and metal-based complexes. In addition, an effort has been made to summarize the structure activity relationships, based on a variety of assays, of some important classes of Mcl-1 inhibitors, giving affinities and selectivities for Mcl-1 compared to other Bcl-2 family members. A focus has been placed on categorizing the inhibitors based on their core frameworks (scaffolds) to appeal to the chemical biologist or medicinal chemist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvind Negi
- School of Chemistry, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, H91 TK33, Ireland
| | - Paul V Murphy
- School of Chemistry, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, H91 TK33, Ireland.
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12
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Vorinostat and fenretinide synergize in preclinical models of T-cell lymphoid malignancies. Anticancer Drugs 2020; 32:34-43. [PMID: 33079733 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000001008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
T-cell lymphoid malignancies (TCLMs) are in need of novel and more effective therapies. The histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors and the synthetic cytotoxic retinoid fenretinide have achieved durable clinical responses in T-cell lymphomas as single agents, and patients who failed prior HDAC inhibitor treatment have responded to fenretinide. We have previously shown fenretinide synergized with the class I HDAC inhibitor romidepsin in preclinical models of TCLMs. There exist some key differences between HDAC inhibitors. Therefore, we determined if the pan-HDAC inhibitor vorinostat synergizes with fenretinide. We demonstrated cytotoxic synergy between vorinostat and fenretinide in nine TCLM cell lines at clinically achievable concentrations that lacked cytotoxicity for non-malignant cells (fibroblasts and blood mononuclear cells). In vivo, vorinostat + fenretinide + ketoconazole (enhances fenretinide exposures by inhibiting fenretinide metabolism) showed greater activity in subcutaneous TCLM xenograft models than other groups. Fenretinide + vorinostat increased reactive oxygen species (ROS, measured by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate dye), resulting in increased apoptosis (via transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay) and histone acetylation (by immunoblotting). The synergistic cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and histone acetylation of fenretinide + vorinostat was abrogated by the antioxidant vitamin C. Like romidepsin, vorinostat combined with fenretinide achieved synergistic cytotoxic activity and increased histone acetylation in preclinical models of TCLMs, but not in non-malignant cells. As vorinostat is an oral agent and not a P-glycoprotein substrate it may have advantages in such combination therapy. These data support conducting a clinical trial of vorinostat combined with fenretinide in relapsed and refractory TCLMs.
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Mukherjee N, Amato CM, Skees J, Todd KJ, Lambert KA, Robinson WA, Van Gulick R, Weight RM, Dart CR, Tobin RP, McCarter MD, Fujita M, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Simultaneously Inhibiting BCL2 and MCL1 Is a Therapeutic Option for Patients with Advanced Melanoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2182. [PMID: 32764384 PMCID: PMC7464298 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need to develop treatments for patients with melanoma who are refractory to or ineligible for immune checkpoint blockade, including patients who lack BRAF-V600E/K mutations. This is often the case in patients diagnosed with rare melanoma subtypes such as mucosal and acral melanoma. Here, we analyzed data from the cutaneous melanoma The Cancer Genome Atlas Network (TCGA) transcriptomic and proteomic databases for differential expression of apoptosis molecules between melanomas with or without BRAF hotspot mutations. Our data indicated higher B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2 (BCL2) expression in melanoma without BRAF hotspot mutations, suggesting that BH3 mimetics, such as ABT-199 (venetoclax, a small molecule against BCL2), may be a potential therapeutic option for these patients. We explored the efficacy of combining two BH3 mimetics, ABT-199 and a myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (MCL1) inhibitor (S63845 or S64315/MIK665) in cutaneous, mucosal and acral melanomas, in vitro and in vivo. Our data indicate this combination induced cell death in a broad range of melanoma cell lines, including melanoma initiating cell populations, and was more potent in melanoma cells without BRAF-V600E/K mutations. Our knockdown/knockout experiments suggest that several pro-apoptotic BCL2 family members, BCL2-like 11 (apoptosis facilitator) (BIM), phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-induced protein 1 (NOXA) or BID, play a role in the combination-induced effects. Overall, our study supports the rationale for combining an MCL1 inhibitor with a BCL2 inhibitor as a therapeutic option in patients with advanced melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabanita Mukherjee
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8127, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.); (K.J.T.); (K.A.L.); (M.F.); (D.A.N.)
| | - Carol M. Amato
- Division of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8117, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (C.M.A.); (W.A.R.); (R.V.G.); (R.M.W.); (C.R.D.)
| | - Jenette Skees
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8127, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.); (K.J.T.); (K.A.L.); (M.F.); (D.A.N.)
| | - Kaleb J. Todd
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8127, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.); (K.J.T.); (K.A.L.); (M.F.); (D.A.N.)
| | - Karoline A. Lambert
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8127, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.); (K.J.T.); (K.A.L.); (M.F.); (D.A.N.)
| | - William A. Robinson
- Division of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8117, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (C.M.A.); (W.A.R.); (R.V.G.); (R.M.W.); (C.R.D.)
| | - Robert Van Gulick
- Division of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8117, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (C.M.A.); (W.A.R.); (R.V.G.); (R.M.W.); (C.R.D.)
| | - Ryan M. Weight
- Division of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8117, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (C.M.A.); (W.A.R.); (R.V.G.); (R.M.W.); (C.R.D.)
| | - Chiara R. Dart
- Division of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8117, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (C.M.A.); (W.A.R.); (R.V.G.); (R.M.W.); (C.R.D.)
| | - Richard P. Tobin
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (R.P.T.); (M.D.M.)
| | - Martin D. McCarter
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (R.P.T.); (M.D.M.)
| | - Mayumi Fujita
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8127, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.); (K.J.T.); (K.A.L.); (M.F.); (D.A.N.)
- Dermatology Section, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Denver, CO 80220, USA
- Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - David A. Norris
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8127, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.); (K.J.T.); (K.A.L.); (M.F.); (D.A.N.)
- Dermatology Section, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Denver, CO 80220, USA
| | - Yiqun G. Shellman
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop 8127, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.); (K.J.T.); (K.A.L.); (M.F.); (D.A.N.)
- Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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14
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Single and dual target inhibitors based on Bcl-2: Promising anti-tumor agents for cancer therapy. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 201:112446. [PMID: 32563811 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) proteins family is an essential checkpoint in apoptosis. Extensive evidences suggested that overexpression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins can be observed in multiple cancer cell lines and primary tumor biopsy samples, which is an important reason for tumor cells to evade apoptosis and further acquire drug resistance for chemotherapy. Hence, down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins is effective for the treatment of cancers. In view that Bcl-2 inhibitors and some other anti-tumor agents, such as HDAC inhibitors and Mdm2 inhibitors, exert synergy effects in tumor cells, it is pointed out that dual-targeting therapies based on these targets are regarded as rational strategies to enhance the effectiveness of single target agents for cancer treatment. This review briefly introduces the apoptosis, the structure of Bcl-2 family proteins, and focuses on the current status and recent advances of Bcl-2 inhibitors and the corresponding SARs of them. Moreover, we discuss the synergisms between Bcl-2 and other anti-tumor targets, and summarize the current dual-target agents.
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Wang Y, Ding Y, Wang C, Gao M, Xu Y, Ma X, Ma X, Cui H, Li L. Fenretinide-polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugate with improved solubility enhanced cytotoxicity to cancer cell and potent in vivo efficacy. Pharm Dev Technol 2020; 25:962-970. [PMID: 32366203 DOI: 10.1080/10837450.2020.1765377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Fenretinide (4-HPR), a synthetic retinoid, has shown its antitumor activity in many tumor types with low cytotoxicity to normal cells and high clinical safety. However, the low water solubility limits its further biological applications. To increase solubility, 4-HPR was conjugated with methoxy polyethylene glycol carboxylic acid (mPEG2K-COOH) by an ester linkage between the phenol hydroxyl of 4-HPR and the carboxyl of mPEG2K-COOH. The 4-HPR-PEG2K conjugate micelles had mean size of 76.70 ± 1.248 nm with a narrow distribution and a low critical micelle concentration. In vitro cytotoxicity studies showed the micelles have higher cytotoxicity to A2780s and MCF-7 cells. Its IC50 was 4.7 and 4.1-fold lower than the free 4-HPR, respectively. Importantly, in vivo pharmacokinetic studies, the AUC of 4-HPR was found to be 2.3-fold higher in 4-HPR-PEG2K micelles compared to free 4-HPR. And the 4-HPR-PEG2K micelles had higher antitumor activity. Meanwhile, the histopathology analysis exhibited that the micellar treatment decreased the viability of A2780s cells and increased the level of induced apoptosis. Therefore, the enhanced activity of 4-HPR by the method of conjugation with mPEG2K-COOH could hopefully provide new insights into the matter of ovarian cancer and breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Yanfang Ding
- School of Basic Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Changyuan Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Meng Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Youwei Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Xiaodong Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Xinyi Ma
- The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Hongxia Cui
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Lei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory for Basic and Applied Research on Pharmacodynamic Substances of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
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16
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Wang Y, Ding Y, Xu Y, Wang C, Ding Y, Gao M, Ma C, Ma X, Li L. Mixed micelles of TPGS and Soluplus ® for co-delivery of paclitaxel and fenretinide: in vitro and in vivo anticancer study. Pharm Dev Technol 2020; 25:865-873. [PMID: 32266855 DOI: 10.1080/10837450.2020.1753770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Fenretinide (4-HPR), as a semi-synthetic retinoid, has apoptosis-promoting effects as a single agent and chemotherapy synergist in vitro. When a human ovarian cancer cells line (A2780s) was treated with both PTX and 4-HPR, there was a synergistic anti-cancer effect demonstrated with a average combination index of 0.44. In this research, a new TPGS-Soluplus® mixed micelles were developed which encapsulation efficiencies of paclitaxel (PTX) and fenretinide (4-HPR) were as high as 98%, and the average diameter of the micelles was 66.26 nm. Cytotoxicity of the mixed micelles co-delivered with PTX and 4-HPR reduced significantly 7.3 and 25.1 times compared with free drug respectively in A2780s cells. More importantly, in vivo pharmacokinetic study, the loaded drugs in mixed micelles exhibited higher AUC and t1/2 values than free drugs. Furthermore, in vivo antitumor efficacy experiments demonstrated that PF-TS exhibited superior in vivo antitumor activity on the inhibition rate of tumor growth than other treatment groups (77.8% corresponding tumor growth inhibition in PF-TS treated group vs 19.9, 12.5, and 26.0% of tumor growth inhibition rate in Taxol®, 4-HPR, and Taxol®+4-HPR, respectively). Therefore, the mixed micelles of co-deliver PTX and 4-HPR successfully constructed may hopefully be applied to the cancer combination treatment with less toxic effect and more antitumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Yanfang Ding
- School of Basic Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Youwei Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Changyuan Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Yingying Ding
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Meng Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Chengge Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Xiaodong Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
| | - Lei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory for Basic and Applied Research on Pharmacodynamic Substances of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, P.R. China
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17
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Junaid M, Akter Y, Afrose SS, Tania M, Khan MA. Apoptotic Cell Death: Important Cellular Process as Chemotherapeutic Target. DRUG TARGETS IN CELLULAR PROCESSES OF CANCER: FROM NONCLINICAL TO PRECLINICAL MODELS 2020:65-88. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-7586-0_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
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18
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Choo Z, Loh AHP, Chen ZX. Destined to Die: Apoptosis and Pediatric Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11111623. [PMID: 31652776 PMCID: PMC6893512 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11111623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a systematic and coordinated cellular process that occurs in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Sidestepping or resisting apoptosis is a distinct characteristic of human cancers including childhood malignancies. This review dissects the apoptosis pathways implicated in pediatric tumors. Understanding these pathways not only unraveled key molecules that may serve as potential targets for drug discovery, but also molecular nodes that integrate with other signaling networks involved in processes such as development. This review presents current knowledge of the complex regulatory system that governs apoptosis with respect to other processes in pediatric cancers, so that fresh insights may be derived regarding treatment resistance or for more effective treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhang'e Choo
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore.
| | - Amos Hong Pheng Loh
- VIVA-KKH Pediatric Brain and Solid Tumor Program, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore.
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore.
| | - Zhi Xiong Chen
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore.
- VIVA-KKH Pediatric Brain and Solid Tumor Program, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore.
- National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, Singapore 119074, Singapore.
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19
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Denis C, Sopková-de Oliveira Santos J, Bureau R, Voisin-Chiret AS. Hot-Spots of Mcl-1 Protein. J Med Chem 2019; 63:928-943. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Camille Denis
- Normandie Univiversité, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France
| | | | - Ronan Bureau
- Normandie Univiversité, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France
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20
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Nguyen TH, Koneru B, Wei SJ, Chen WH, Makena MR, Urias E, Kang MH, Reynolds CP. Fenretinide via NOXA Induction, Enhanced Activity of the BCL-2 Inhibitor Venetoclax in High BCL-2–Expressing Neuroblastoma Preclinical Models. Mol Cancer Ther 2019; 18:2270-2282. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-0385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Abstract
Apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death, occurs normally during development and aging. Members of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) family of proteins are central regulators of apoptosis, and resistance to apoptosis is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Targeting the apoptotic pathway via BCL2 inhibitors has been considered a promising treatment strategy in the past decade. Initial efforts with small molecule BH3 mimetics such as ABT-737 and ABT-263 (navitoclax) pioneered the development of the first-in-class Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved oral BCL2 inhibitor, venetoclax. Venetoclax was approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, and is now being studied in a number of hematologic malignancies. Several other inhibitors targeting different BCL2 family members are now in early stages of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fevzi F Yalniz
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 428, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - William G Wierda
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 428, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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22
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Lee T, Christov PP, Shaw S, Tarr JC, Zhao B, Veerasamy N, Jeon KO, Mills JJ, Bian Z, Sensintaffar JL, Arnold AL, Fogarty SA, Perry E, Ramsey HE, Cook RS, Hollingshead M, Davis Millin M, Lee KM, Koss B, Budhraja A, Opferman JT, Kim K, Arteaga CL, Moore WJ, Olejniczak ET, Savona MR, Fesik SW. Discovery of Potent Myeloid Cell Leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) Inhibitors That Demonstrate in Vivo Activity in Mouse Xenograft Models of Human Cancer. J Med Chem 2019; 62:3971-3988. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taekyu Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Plamen P. Christov
- Chemical Synthesis Core, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Subrata Shaw
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - James C. Tarr
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Nagarathanam Veerasamy
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Kyu Ok Jeon
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Jonathan J. Mills
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Zhiguo Bian
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - John L. Sensintaffar
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Allison L. Arnold
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Stuart A. Fogarty
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Evan Perry
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Haley E. Ramsey
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Rebecca S. Cook
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | | | | | - Kyung-min Lee
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Brian Koss
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Amit Budhraja
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Joseph T. Opferman
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Kwangho Kim
- Chemical Synthesis Core, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Carlos L. Arteaga
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - William J. Moore
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21701, United States
| | - Edward T. Olejniczak
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Michael R. Savona
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Stephen W. Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
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Cytotoxicity and molecular activity of fenretinide and metabolites in T-cell lymphoid malignancy, neuroblastoma, and ovarian cancer cell lines in physiological hypoxia. Anticancer Drugs 2019; 30:117-127. [DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000000696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Makena MR, Cho HE, Nguyen TH, Koneru B, Verlekar DU, Hindle A, Kang MH, Reynolds CP. Cytotoxic activity of difluoromethylornithine compared with fenretinide in neuroblastoma cell lines. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2018; 65:e27447. [PMID: 30251395 PMCID: PMC9621602 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.27447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maintenance therapy with 13-cis-retinoic acid and immunotherapy (given after completion of intensive cytotoxic therapy) improves outcome for high-risk neuroblastoma patients. The synthetic retinoid fenretinide (4-HPR) achieved multiple complete responses in relapse/refractory neuroblastoma in early-phase clinical trials, has low systemic toxicity, and has been considered for maintenance therapy clinical trials. Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO, an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase with minimal single-agent clinical response data) is being used for maintenance therapy of neuroblastoma. We evaluated the cytotoxic activity of DFMO and fenretinide in neuroblastoma cell lines. PROCEDURE We tested 16 neuroblastoma cell lines in bone marrow-level hypoxia (5% O2 ) using the DIMSCAN cytotoxicity assay. Polyamines were measured by HPLC-mass spectrometry and apoptosis by transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) using flow cytometry. RESULTS At clinically achievable levels (100 μM), DFMO significantly decreased (P < 0.05) polyamine putrescine and achieved modest cytotoxicity (<1 log (90% cytotoxicity). Prolonged exposures (7 days) or culture in 2% and 20% O2 did not enhance DFMO cytotoxicity. However, fenretinide (10 μM) even at a concentration lower than clinically achievable in neuroblastoma patients (20 μM) induced ≥ 1 log cell kill in 14 cell lines. The average IC90 and IC99 of fenretinide was 4.7 ± 1 μM and 9.9 ± 1.8 μM, respectively. DFMO did not induce a significant increase (P > 0.05) in apoptosis (TUNEL assay). Apoptosis by fenretinide was significantly higher (P < 0.001) compared with DFMO or controls. CONCLUSIONS DFMO as a single agent has minimal cytotoxic activity for neuroblastoma cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monish R. Makena
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
| | - Hwang Eui Cho
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
| | - Thinh H. Nguyen
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
| | - Balakrishna Koneru
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
| | - Dattesh U. Verlekar
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
| | - Ashly Hindle
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
| | - Min H. Kang
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
| | - C. Patrick Reynolds
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX.,Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX
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25
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Verlekar D, Wei SJ, Cho H, Yang S, Kang MH. Ceramide synthase-6 confers resistance to chemotherapy by binding to CD95/Fas in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:925. [PMID: 30206207 PMCID: PMC6133972 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-018-0964-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Ceramide synthases (CERS) produce ceramides which are key intermediators in the biosynthesis of complex sphingolipids and play an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and senescence. CERS6 is an isoform of ceramide synthases known to generate ceramides with C16 acyl chain (C16-Cer). CERS6 and C16-Cer levels were significantly higher in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells in comparison to peripheral blood mononuclear cells and T lymphocytes derived from healthy human volunteers. We investigated the role of CERS6 in chemo-resistance in T-ALL cell lines. Stable knockdown of CERS6 in CCRF-CEM and MOLT-4 cells resulted in increased sensitivity to ABT-737, a pan-BCL-2 inhibitor, while CCRF-CEM cells with exogenous CERS6 expression showed resistance to ABT-737 relative to the vector control. The cytotoxic activity of ABT-737 in CERS6 knockdown cells was significantly reduced by the addition of a caspase-8 inhibitor Z-IETD, suggesting that CERS6 alters the cytotoxicity via extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. By co-immunoprecipitation of CERS6 in CCRF-CEM cells, we identified CD95/Fas, a mediator of extrinsic apoptotic pathway, as a novel CERS6 binding partner. In Fas pull-down samples, FADD (Fas-associated protein with death domain) was detected at higher levels in cells with CERS6 knockdown compared with control cells when treated with ABT-737, and this was reversed by the overexpression of CERS6, demonstrating that CERS6 interferes with Fas–FADD DISC assembly. CERS6 may serve as a biomarker in determining the effectiveness of anticancer agents acting via the extrinsic pathway in T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dattesh Verlekar
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA.,Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA
| | - Sung-Jen Wei
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA
| | - Hwangeui Cho
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA
| | - Shengping Yang
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA.,Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA
| | - Min H Kang
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA. .,Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA.
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26
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Shaw S, Bian Z, Zhao B, Tarr JC, Veerasamy N, Jeon KO, Belmar J, Arnold AL, Fogarty SA, Perry E, Sensintaffar JL, Camper DV, Rossanese OW, Lee T, Olejniczak ET, Fesik SW. Optimization of Potent and Selective Tricyclic Indole Diazepinone Myeloid Cell Leukemia-1 Inhibitors Using Structure-Based Design. J Med Chem 2018; 61:2410-2421. [PMID: 29323899 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), an antiapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, has emerged as an attractive target for cancer therapy. Mcl-1 upregulation is often found in many human cancers and is associated with high tumor grade, poor survival, and resistance to chemotherapy. Here, we describe a series of potent and selective tricyclic indole diazepinone Mcl-1 inhibitors that were discovered and further optimized using structure-based design. These compounds exhibit picomolar binding affinity and mechanism-based cellular efficacy, including growth inhibition and caspase induction in Mcl-1-sensitive cells. Thus, they represent useful compounds to study the implication of Mcl-1 inhibition in cancer and serve as potentially useful starting points toward the discovery of anti-Mcl-1 therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Shaw
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Zhiguo Bian
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - James C Tarr
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Nagarathanam Veerasamy
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Kyu Ok Jeon
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Johannes Belmar
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Allison L Arnold
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Stuart A Fogarty
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Evan Perry
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - John L Sensintaffar
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - DeMarco V Camper
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Olivia W Rossanese
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Taekyu Lee
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Edward T Olejniczak
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
| | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall , Nashville , Tennessee 37232-0146 , United States
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27
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Xu J, Wise JTF, Wang L, Schumann K, Zhang Z, Shi X. Dual Roles of Oxidative Stress in Metal Carcinogenesis. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 2018; 36:345-376. [PMID: 29431065 DOI: 10.1615/jenvironpatholtoxicoloncol.2017025229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been well established that environmental and occupational exposure to heavy metal causes cancer in several organs. Although the exact mechanism of heavy metal carcinogenesis remains elusive, metal-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential. ROS can play two roles in metal carcinogenesis; two stages in the process of metal carcinogenesis differ in the amounts of ROS activating a dual redox-mediated mechanism. In the early stage of metal carcinogenesis, ROS acts in an oncogenic role. However, in the late stage of metal carcinogenesis, ROS plays an antioncogenic role. Similarly, NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) also has two different roles, which makes it a key molecule for separating metal carcinogenesis into two different stages. In the early stage, inducible Nrf2 fights against elevated ROS to decrease cell transformation by its antioxidant protection property. In the late stage, constitutively activated Nrf2 manipulates reduced ROS to perform a comfortable environment for apoptosis resistance through an oncogenic role. Interestingly, a cunning carcinogenic mechanism takes advantage of the dual role of Nrf2 to implement the dual role of ROS through a series of redox adaption mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the paradox in the rationales behind the two opposite ROS roles and focus on their potential pharmacological application. The dual role of ROS represents a 'double-edged sword' with many possible novel ROS-mediated strategies in cancer therapy in metal carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chao Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 8 Gongren Tiyuchang Nanlu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China
| | - James T F Wise
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Lei Wang
- Center for Research on Environmental Disease, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Kortney Schumann
- Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Zhuo Zhang
- Center for Research on Environmental Disease, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Xianglin Shi
- Center for Research on Environmental Disease, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
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28
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Small-molecule Mcl-1 inhibitors: Emerging anti-tumor agents. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 146:471-482. [PMID: 29407973 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.01.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The anti-apoptotic members of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) proteins family, such as Bcl-2 and myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), are the key regulators of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis and overexpressed in many tumor cells, which have been confirmed as potential drug targets for cancers. A number of Bcl-2 proteins inhibitors have been developed and conducted clinical trials, but no Mcl-1 inhibitors are presented in the clinics. In addition, Mcl-1 is an important reason for the resistance to radio- and chemotherapies, including inhibitors that target other Bcl-2 family members. For example, the recently launched Bcl-2-selective inhibitor ABT-199 displays highly potency in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but it cannot induce the apoptosis controlled by Mcl-1 in some tumor cell lines. Therefore, developing potent Mcl-1 inhibitors become urgently needed in clinical therapy. This review briefly introduces the structure of Mcl-1 protein, the role in cancers and focuses on the progress of small-molecule Mcl-1 inhibitors from 2012 to 2017.
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29
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Liu T, Gao Y, Zhang X, Wan Y, Du L, Fang H, Li M. Discovery of a Turn-On Fluorescent Probe for Myeloid Cell Leukemia-1 Protein. Anal Chem 2017; 89:11173-11177. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b01148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Liu
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE),
School of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Yuqi Gao
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE),
School of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Xiaomeng Zhang
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE),
School of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Yichao Wan
- Key
Laboratory of Theoretical Organic Chemistry and Functional Molecule
(MOE), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, Hunan 411201, China
| | - Lupei Du
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE),
School of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Hao Fang
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE),
School of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Minyong Li
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE),
School of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
- State
Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, China
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30
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Pignanelli C, Ma D, Noel M, Ropat J, Mansour F, Curran C, Pupulin S, Larocque K, Wu J, Liang G, Wang Y, Pandey S. Selective Targeting of Cancer Cells by Oxidative Vulnerabilities with Novel Curcumin Analogs. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1105. [PMID: 28439094 PMCID: PMC5430918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01230-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, research has focused on targeting the oxidative and metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer cells. Natural compounds like curcumin that target such susceptibilities have failed further clinical advancements due to the poor stability and bioavailability as well as the need of high effective doses. We have synthesized and evaluated the anti-cancer activity of several monocarbonyl analogs of curcumin. Interestingly, two novel analogs (Compound A and I) in comparison to curcumin, have increased chemical stability and have greater anti-cancer activity in a variety of human cancer cells, including triple-negative, inflammatory breast cancer cells. In particular, the generation of reactive oxygen species was selective to cancer cells and occurred upstream of mitochondrial collapse and execution of apoptosis. Furthermore, Compound A in combination with another cancer-selective/pro-oxidant, piperlongumine, caused an enhanced anti-cancer effect. Most importantly, Compound A was well tolerated by mice and was effective in inhibiting the growth of human triple-negative breast cancer and leukemia xenografts in vivo when administered intraperitoneally. Thus, exploiting oxidative vulnerabilities in cancer cells could be a selective and efficacious means to eradicate malignant cells as demonstrated by the curcumin analogs presented in this report with high therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Pignanelli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Dennis Ma
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Megan Noel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Jesse Ropat
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Fadi Mansour
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Colin Curran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Simon Pupulin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Kristen Larocque
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Jianzhang Wu
- Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, University Town, Chashan, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, P.R. China
| | - Guang Liang
- Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, University Town, Chashan, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, P.R. China
| | - Yi Wang
- Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, University Town, Chashan, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, P.R. China.
| | - Siyaram Pandey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada.
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31
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Makena MR, Koneru B, Nguyen TH, Kang MH, Reynolds CP. Reactive Oxygen Species–Mediated Synergism of Fenretinide and Romidepsin in Preclinical Models of T-cell Lymphoid Malignancies. Mol Cancer Ther 2017; 16:649-661. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-16-0749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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32
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Co-targeting of Bcl-2 and mTOR pathway triggers synergistic apoptosis in BH3 mimetics resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Oncotarget 2016; 6:32089-103. [PMID: 26392332 PMCID: PMC4741661 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Several chemo-resistance mechanisms including the Bcl-2 protein family overexpression and constitutive activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling have been documented in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), encouraging targeted approaches to circumvent this clinical problem. Here we analyzed the activity of the BH3 mimetic ABT-737 in ALL, exploring the synergistic effects with the mTOR inhibitor CCI-779 on ABT-737 resistant cells. We showed that a low Mcl-1/Bcl-2 plus Bcl-xL protein ratio determined ABT-737 responsiveness. ABT-737 exposure further decreased Mcl-1, inducing apoptosis on sensitive models and primary samples, while not affecting resistant cells. Co-inhibition of Bcl-2 and the mTOR pathway resulted cytotoxic on ABT-737 resistant models, by downregulating mTORC1 activity and Mcl-1 in a proteasome-independent manner. Although Mcl-1 seemed to be critical, ectopic modulation did not correlate with apoptosis changes. Importantly, dual targeting proved effective on ABT-737 resistant samples, showing additive/synergistic effects. Together, our results show the efficacy of BH3 mimetics as single agent in the majority of the ALL samples and demonstrate that resistance to ABT-737 mostly correlated with Mcl-1 overexpression. Co-targeting of the Bcl-2 protein family and mTOR pathway enhanced drug-induced cytotoxicity by suppressing Mcl-1, providing a novel therapeutic approach to overcome BH3 mimetics resistance in ALL.
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33
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Kang MH, Wang J, Makena MR, Lee JS, Paz N, Hall CP, Song MM, Calderon RI, Cruz RE, Hindle A, Ko W, Fitzgerald JB, Drummond DC, Triche TJ, Reynolds CP. Activity of MM-398, nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI), in Ewing's family tumor xenografts is associated with high exposure of tumor to drug and high SLFN11 expression. Clin Cancer Res 2016; 21:1139-50. [PMID: 25733708 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-1882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine the pharmacokinetics and the antitumor activity in pediatric cancer models of MM-398, a nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Mouse plasma and tissue pharmacokinetics of nal-IRI and the current clinical formulation of irinotecan were characterized. In vivo activity of irinotecan and nal-IRI was compared in xenograft models (3 each in nu/nu mice) of Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors (EFT), neuroblastoma (NB), and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). SLFN11 expression was assessed by Affymetrix HuEx arrays, Taqman RT-PCR, and immunoblotting. RESULTS Plasma and tumor concentrations of irinotecan and SN-38 (active metabolite) were approximately 10-fold higher for nal-IRI than for irinotecan. Two doses of NAL-IRI (10 mg/kg/dose) achieved complete responses maintained for >100 days in 24 of 27 EFT-xenografted mice. Event-free survival for mice with RMS and NB was significantly shorter than for EFT. High SLFN11 expression has been reported to correlate with sensitivity to DNA damaging agents; median SLFN11 mRNA expression was >100-fold greater in both EFT cell lines and primary tumors compared with NB or RMS cell lines or primary tumors. Cytotoxicity of SN-38 inversely correlated with SLFN11 mRNA expression in 20 EFT cell lines. CONCLUSIONS In pediatric solid tumor xenografts, nal-IRI demonstrated higher systemic and tumor exposures to SN-38 and improved antitumor activity compared with the current clinical formulation of irinotecan. Clinical studies of nal-IRI in pediatric solid tumors (especially EFT) and correlative studies to determine if SLFN11 expression can serve as a biomarker to predict nal-IRI clinical activity are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min H Kang
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Jing Wang
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Monish R Makena
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Joo-Sang Lee
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Nancy Paz
- Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Connor P Hall
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Michael M Song
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Ruben I Calderon
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Riza E Cruz
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Ashly Hindle
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Winford Ko
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | | | | | - Timothy J Triche
- Department of Pathology Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - C Patrick Reynolds
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
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34
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Sonawane P, Cho HE, Tagde A, Verlekar D, Yu AL, Reynolds CP, Kang MH. Metabolic characteristics of 13-cis-retinoic acid (isotretinoin) and anti-tumour activity of the 13-cis-retinoic acid metabolite 4-oxo-13-cis-retinoic acid in neuroblastoma. Br J Pharmacol 2015; 171:5330-44. [PMID: 25039756 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2014] [Revised: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid; 13-cRA) is a differentiation inducer used to treat minimal residual disease after myeloablative therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma. However, more than 40% of children develop recurrent disease during or after 13-cRA treatment. The plasma concentrations of 13-cRA in earlier studies were considered subtherapeutic while 4-oxo-13-cis-RA (4-oxo-13-cRA), a metabolite of 13-cRA considered by some investigators as inactive, were greater than threefold higher than 13-cRA. We sought to define the metabolic pathways of 13-cRA and investigated the anti-tumour activity of its major metabolite, 4-oxo-13-cRA. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Effects of 13-cRA and 4-oxo-13-cRA on human neuroblastoma cell lines were assessed by DIMSCAN and flow cytometry for cell proliferation, MYCN down-regulation by reverse transcription PCR and immunoblotting, and neurite outgrowth by confocal microscopy. 13-cRA metabolism was determined using tandem MS in human liver microsomes and in patient samples. KEY RESULTS Six major metabolites of 13-cRA were identified in patient samples. Of these, 4-oxo-13-cRA was the most abundant, and 4-oxo-13-cRA glucuronide was also detected at a higher level in patients. CYP3A4 was shown to play a major role in catalysing 13-cRA to 4-oxo-13-cRA. In human neuroblastoma cell lines, 4-oxo-13-cRA and 13-cRA were equi-effective at inducing neurite outgrowth, inhibiting proliferation, decreasing MYCN mRNA and protein, and increasing the expression of retinoic acid receptor-β mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We showed that 4-oxo-13-cRA is as active as 13-cRA against neuroblastoma cell lines. Plasma levels of both 13-cRA and 4-oxo-13-cRA should be evaluated in pharmacokinetic studies of isotretinoin in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Sonawane
- Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA; Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
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Farsinejad S, Gheisary Z, Ebrahimi Samani S, Alizadeh AM. Mitochondrial targeted peptides for cancer therapy. Tumour Biol 2015; 36:5715-25. [DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-3719-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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36
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Maji S, Samal SK, Pattanaik L, Panda S, Quinn BA, Das SK, Sarkar D, Pellecchia M, Fisher PB, Dash R. Mcl-1 is an important therapeutic target for oral squamous cell carcinomas. Oncotarget 2015; 6:16623-37. [PMID: 26009874 PMCID: PMC4599294 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.3932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers are the sixth most common cancers worldwide. Despite intensive investigation, oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) represent a clinical challenge resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Resistance to cell death is common in OSCC and is often mediated by the Bcl-2 family proteins. Among all anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, Mcl-1 functions as a major survival factor, particularly in solid cancers. Despite the confirmed importance of Mcl-1 in several neoplasms, the role of Mcl-1 in OSCC survival has yet to be explored. In this study, we found that knocking down Mcl-1 sensitized OSCC cells to ABT-737, which binds to Bcl-2/Bcl-xL but not Mcl-1. We report for the first time that a BH3 mimetic, Sabutoclax, which functions as an inhibitor of all anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, induced cancer-specific cell death in an Mcl-1-dependent manner through both apoptosis and toxic mitophagy. In vivo studies demonstrated that Sabutoclax alone decreased tumor growth in a carcinogen-induced tongue OSCC mouse model. In a combination regimen, Sabutoclax and COX-2 inhibitor, Celecoxib, synergistically inhibited the growth of OSCC in vitro and also significantly reduced OSCC tumor growth in vivo. Overall, these results identify Mcl-1 as a therapeutic prospective target in OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Maji
- Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Manipal University, Karnataka, India
| | - Sabindra K Samal
- Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Manipal University, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Swagatika Panda
- Department of Oral Pathology & Microbiology, Institute of Dental Sciences, ‘Siksha O Anusandhan’ University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Bridget A. Quinn
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Swadesh K. Das
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- VCU Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- VCU Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | | | - Paul B. Fisher
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- VCU Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Rupesh Dash
- Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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Woo SM, Min KJ, Seo BR, Nam JO, Choi KS, Yoo YH, Kwon TK. Cafestol overcomes ABT-737 resistance in Mcl-1-overexpressed renal carcinoma Caki cells through downregulation of Mcl-1 expression and upregulation of Bim expression. Cell Death Dis 2014; 5:e1514. [PMID: 25375379 PMCID: PMC4260730 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2014.472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Revised: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Although ABT-737, a small-molecule Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor, has recently emerged as a novel cancer therapeutic agent, ABT-737-induced apoptosis is often blocked in several types of cancer cells with elevated expression of Mcl-1. Cafestol, one of the major compounds in coffee beans, has been reported to have anti-carcinogenic activity and tumor cell growth-inhibitory activity, and we examined whether cafestol could overcome resistance against ABT-737 in Mcl-1-overexpressed human renal carcinoma Caki cells. ABT-737 alone had no effect on apoptosis, but cafestol markedly enhanced ABT-737-mediated apoptosis in Mcl-1-overexpressed Caki cells, human glioma U251MG cells, and human breast carcinoma MDA-MB231 cells. By contrast, co-treatment with ABT-737 and cafestol did not induce apoptosis in normal human skin fibroblast. Furthermore, combined treatment with cafestol and ABT-737 markedly reduced tumor growth compared with either drug alone in xenograft models. We found that cafestol inhibited Mcl-1 protein expression, which is important for ABT-737 resistance, through promotion of protein degradation. Moreover, cafestol increased Bim expression, and siRNA-mediated suppression of Bim expression reduced the apoptosis induced by cafestol plus ABT-737. Taken together, cafestol may be effectively used to enhance ABT-737 sensitivity in cancer therapy via downregulation of Mcl-1 expression and upregulation of Bim expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Woo
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, 2800 Dalgubeoldaero, Dalseo-Gu, Daegu 704-701, South Korea
| | - K-J Min
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, 2800 Dalgubeoldaero, Dalseo-Gu, Daegu 704-701, South Korea
| | - B R Seo
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, 2800 Dalgubeoldaero, Dalseo-Gu, Daegu 704-701, South Korea
| | - J-O Nam
- Department of Ecological Environment Conservation, Kyungpook National University, Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do 742-711, South Korea
| | - K S Choi
- Department of Biochemistry, Ajou University School of Medicine, 5 Woncheon-Dong, Paldal-Gu, Suwon 442-749, South Korea
| | - Y H Yoo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Mitochondria Hub Regulation Center, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan 602-714, South Korea
| | - T K Kwon
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, 2800 Dalgubeoldaero, Dalseo-Gu, Daegu 704-701, South Korea
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Combining a BCL2 inhibitor with the retinoid derivative fenretinide targets melanoma cells including melanoma initiating cells. J Invest Dermatol 2014; 135:842-850. [PMID: 25350317 PMCID: PMC4323853 DOI: 10.1038/jid.2014.464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Revised: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Investigations from multiple laboratories support the existence of melanoma initiating cells (MICs) that potentially contribute to melanoma's drug resistance. ABT-737, a small molecule BCL-2/BCL-XL/BCL-W inhibitor, is promising in cancer treatments, but not very effective against melanoma, with the anti-apoptotic protein MCL-1 as the main contributor to resistance. The synthetic retinoid fenretinide (4-HPR) has shown promise for treating breast cancers. Here, we tested whether the combination of ABT-737 with 4-HPR is effective in killing both the bulk of melanoma cells and MICs. The combination synergistically decreased cell viability and caused cell death in multiple melanoma cells lines (carrying either BRAF or NRAS mutations), but not in normal melanocytes. The combination increased the NOXA expression and caspase-dependent MCL-1 degradation. Knocking-down NOXA protected cells from combination-induced apoptosis, implicating the role of NOXA in the drug synergy. The combination treatment also disrupted primary spheres (a functional assay for MICs) and decreased the percentage of ALDHhigh cells (a marker of MICs) in melanoma cell lines. Moreover, the combination inhibited the self-renewal capacity of MICs, measured by secondary sphere forming assays. In vivo, the combination inhibited tumor growth. Thus, this combination is a promising treatment strategy for melanoma, regardless of mutation status of BRAF or NRAS.
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Belmar J, Fesik SW. Small molecule Mcl-1 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Pharmacol Ther 2014; 145:76-84. [PMID: 25172548 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2014.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Bcl-2 family of proteins serves as primary regulators of apoptosis. Myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), a pro-survival member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, is overexpressed and the Mcl-1 gene is amplified in many tumor types. Moreover, the overexpression of Mcl-1 is the cause of resistance to several chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, Mcl-1 is a promising cancer target. This review highlights the current progress on the discovery of small molecule Mcl-1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Belmar
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States
| | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, 607 Light Hall, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States.
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Lheureux S, N'Diaye M, Blanc-Fournier C, Dugué AE, Clarisse B, Dutoit S, Giffard F, Abeilard E, Briand M, Labiche A, Grellard JM, Crouet H, Martin S, Joly F, Poulain L. Identification of predictive factors of response to the BH3-mimetic molecule ABT-737: an ex vivo experiment in human serous ovarian carcinoma. Int J Cancer 2014; 136:E340-50. [PMID: 25066666 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian cancers are addicted to Bcl-xL and Mcl-1, antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family. Bcl-xL can be inhibited by the BH3-mimetic ABT-737. In vitro, ABT-737 can induce apoptosis of cancer cells, and its activity is potentiated by Mcl-1 inactivation. Herein, we assessed the sensitivity of human ovarian tumor nodes to ABT-737 when combined with carboplatin, which can indirectly inhibit Mcl-1. Fresh samples from 25 patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) who were chemo-naïve and had undergone surgery were prospectively exposed ex vivo to ABT-737 ± carboplatin. The treatment effect was studied on sliced tumor nodes by assessment of cleaved-caspase 3 immunostaining. We also studied the association between baseline Bcl-2 family protein expression (via immunohistochemistry) and the response of nodes to treatment. ABT-737 induced apoptosis as a single agent but its efficacy was not improved by the addition of carboplatin. Bim was frequently expressed (20/25) and its absence or low expression was associated with the absence of response to ABT-737, p value = 0.019 by Fisher's test and sensitivity = 93%, (95% confidence interval, 66-100). Moreover, we observed that in tumors in which Bim was expressed, a low expression of phospho-Erk1/2 or Mcl-1 improved the proportion of responses. This pilot study showed that ABT-737 has promise as monotherapy for HGSOC in a specific subgroup of tumors. Bim, Mcl-1, and phospho-Erk1/2 appeared to be relevant biomarkers that could be used for the selection of patients in the design of clinical trials using Navitoclax (an orally available compound related to ABT-737).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Lheureux
- Normandy University, Caen, France; UNICAEN, Unité "Biologie et Thérapies Innovantes des Cancers Localement Agressifs" (EA 4656), Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer François Baclesse, 14076 Caen Cedex 05, France; Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer François Baclesse, 3 Avenue du Général Harris, BP5026, 14076 Caen Cedex 05, France; Service de recherche clinique, Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer François Baclesse, 14076 Caen Cedex 05, France; Comité d'Uro-gynécolgie Oncologique, Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer François Baclesse, 14076 Caen Cedex 05, France
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Ryu Y, Hall CP, Reynolds CP, Kang MH. Caspase-dependent Mcl-1 cleavage and effect of Mcl-1 phosphorylation in ABT-737-induced apoptosis in human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2014; 239:1390-402. [PMID: 24951472 DOI: 10.1177/1535370214538745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
ABT-737 is a BH3-mimetic that has a wide spectrum of single-agent activity against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines and xenografts. Previously, we reported that in response to ABT-737, ABT-737-resistant ALL cell lines showed an apparent increase in Mcl-1 (an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein that is not effectively inhibited by ABT-737) while ABT-737-sensitive ALL cell lines showed decreased Mcl-1 levels. Here we explored the mechanism of Mcl-1 cleavage by ABT-737 and the effect of adjacent phosphorylation sites on Mcl-1 cleavage and apoptosis induced by ABT-737 in a human B-lineage ALL cell line. Caspase cleavage sites in Mcl-1 and the effect of mutation in Mcl-1 phosphorylation sites were determined by transducing Mcl-1 variants tagged with the V5 epitope into human ALL cells. Cytotoxicity was by fluorescence-based DIMSCAN, and changes in protein by immunoblotting. ABT-737 induced a caspase-dependent cleavage of Mcl-1. Of the two Mcl-1 caspase cleavage sites (D127 and D157), D157 was the site of ABT-737-induced cleavage in ALL cells. Cells with exogenously expressed Mcl-1 Δ157 fragment showed greater caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation when they were treated with ABT-737 compared with cells expressing wild-type or D157A mutant Mcl-1. Cells with mutated phosphorylation sites on Mcl-1 (S159A and T163A) were less susceptible to Mcl-1 cleavage and apoptosis induced by ABT-737. Our data showed that Mcl-1 is post-translationally regulated in response to ABT-737 treatment, primarily via a caspase-dependent cleavage that generates a pro-apoptotic Mcl-1 fragment.
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Affiliation(s)
- YongKu Ryu
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA Cell Biology & Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Connor P Hall
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA Neuroscience and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - C Patrick Reynolds
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA Cell Biology & Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA Neuroscience and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Min H Kang
- Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA Cell Biology & Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA Neuroscience and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
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HE JINHUA, LIAO XIAOLI, WANG WEI, LI DANDAN, CHEN WENDAN, DENG RONG, YANG DAJUN, HAN ZEPING, JIANG JIANWEI, ZHU XIAOFENG. Apogossypolone, a small-molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2, induces radiosensitization of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by stimulating autophagy. Int J Oncol 2014; 45:1099-108. [DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2014.2497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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August KJ, Narendran A, Neville KA. Pediatric relapsed or refractory leukemia: new pharmacotherapeutic developments and future directions. Drugs 2014; 73:439-61. [PMID: 23568274 DOI: 10.1007/s40265-013-0026-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 50 years, numerous advances in treatment have produced dramatic increases in the cure rates of pediatric leukemias. Despite this progress, the majority of children with relapsed leukemia are not expected to survive. With current chemotherapy regimens, approximately 15 % of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 45 % of children with acute myeloid leukemia will have refractory disease or experience a relapse. Advances in the treatment of pediatric relapsed leukemia have not mirrored the successes of upfront therapy, and newer treatments are desperately needed in order to improve survival in these challenging patients. Recent improvements in our knowledge of cancer biology have revealed an extensive number of targets that have the potential to be exploited for anticancer therapy. These advances have led to the development of a number of new treatments that are now being explored in children with relapsed or refractory leukemia. Novel agents seek to exploit the same molecular aberrations that contribute to leukemia development and resistance to therapy. Newer classes of drugs, including monoclonal antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and epigenetic modifiers are transforming the treatment of patients who are not cured with conventional therapies. As the side effects of many new agents are distinct from those seen with conventional chemotherapy, these treatments are often explored in combination with each other or combined with conventional treatment regimens. This review discusses the biological rationale for the most promising new agents and the results of recent studies conducted in pediatric patients with relapsed leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith J August
- Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO, USA.
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Simonin K, N'Diaye M, Lheureux S, Loussouarn C, Dutoit S, Briand M, Giffard F, Brotin E, Blanc-Fournier C, Poulain L. Platinum compounds sensitize ovarian carcinoma cells to ABT-737 by modulation of the Mcl-1/Noxa axis. Apoptosis 2014; 18:492-508. [PMID: 23344663 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-012-0799-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancer. The anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-x(L) is frequently overexpressed in ovarian carcinoma which correlates with chemotherapy resistance. It has been demonstrated that Bcl-x(L) cooperates with another anti-apoptotic protein, Mcl-1, to protect ovarian cancer cells against apoptosis, and that their concomitant inhibition induces massive cell death. Here, we examined the interest of ABT-737, a potent BH3-mimetic molecule targeting Bcl-x(L), both alone and in combination with Mcl-1 modulators, in ovarian cancer cell lines. As a single agent, ABT-737 was ineffective at promoting cell death in the four cell lines we tested in vitro. However, the specific inhibition of Mcl-1 by siRNA dramatically increased the sensitivity of chemoresistant cells to ABT-737. Platinum compounds also sensitize to ABT-737 by dose-dependently decreasing Mcl-1 expression or by increasing the expression of pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins Noxa and, to a lower extent, Bim. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Noxa accumulation was involved in apoptosis occurring in response to the combination of ABT-737 and platinum compounds, since cells were protected from apoptosis by its silencing. Moreover, the combination was also highly cytotoxic ex vivo in sliced SKOV3 tumor nodes. However we observed in these slices a strong basal expression of Noxa and apoptotic cell death in response to ABT-737 alone. Therefore, we have revealed that the modulation of the Mcl-1/Noxa axis by platinum compounds results in a strong sensitization of chemoresistant ovarian carcinoma cells to ABT-737, which could constitute a promising therapeutic in these cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Simonin
- Unité Biologie et Thérapies Innovantes des Cancers Localement Agressifs (EA 4656, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie et SF 4206 ICORE), Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer François Baclesse, 3 Avenue du Général Harris, BP 5026, 14076 Caen Cedex 05, France
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Jin G, Zhao J, Qi H, Lou M, Liu X, Qu Y, Zhao L, Zhang W, Shao J, Zhong H. Gemcitabine and carboplatin demonstrate synergistic cytotoxicity in cervical cancer cells by inhibiting DNA synthesis and increasing cell apoptosis. Onco Targets Ther 2013; 6:1707-17. [PMID: 24348048 PMCID: PMC3848983 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s54217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study aims to investigate the subunit expression and enzyme activity of ribonucleotide reductase in cervical cancer patients, and detect the combined effect of the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor gemcitabine and the chemotherapeutic agent carboplatin on cervical cancer cell lines. METHODS Using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and cytidine 5'-diphosphate reduction assays, we tested the expression and activity of ribonucleotide reductase in cervical cancer patients. The antitumor activity of gemcitabine and/or carboplatin treatments to SiHa and CaSki human cervical cancer cell lines were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 viability assay, EdU incorporation assay, immunofluorescence assay, flow cytometry assay, and Western blotting methods. Additionally, synergistic efficacy was quantitatively analyzed using a combination index based on the Chou-Talalay method. RESULTS The mRNA levels of three ribonucleotide reductase subunits were all upregulated in the cervical cancer tissues compared with normal tissues (P<0.0001). Consistently, the protein expression and enzyme activity of ribonucleotide reductase were also increased in the cervical cancer tissues. Interestingly, gemcitabine inhibited DNA synthesis and carboplatin induced DNA damage. Further, the combined drug regime had a significant synergistic effect on inhibiting cervical cancer cell viability (log10[combination index] <0) via enhanced DNA damage and cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION The expression and activity of ribonucleotide reductase was increased in cervical cancer. Our study demonstrated the synergistic cytotoxicity of gemcitabine and carboplatin, through inhibiting DNA synthesis and increasing cell apoptosis in cervical cancer cell lines. This evidence might provide a rational clue of their combined application to improve cervical cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guixiu Jin
- School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, People's Republic of China ; Department of Gynecological Oncology, Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongyan Qi
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Lou
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xia Liu
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Qu
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China
| | - Lingjun Zhao
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China
| | - Weifeng Zhang
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China
| | - Jimin Shao
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Huizhen Zhong
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China
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Holliday Jr. MW, Cox SB, Kang MH, Maurer BJ. C22:0- and C24:0-dihydroceramides confer mixed cytotoxicity in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74768. [PMID: 24040340 PMCID: PMC3767634 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that fenretinide (4-HPR) was cytotoxic to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines in vitro in association with increased levels of de novo synthesized dihydroceramides, the immediate precursors of ceramides. However, the cytotoxic potentials of native dihydroceramides have not been defined. Therefore, we determined the cytotoxic effects of increasing dihydroceramide levels via de novo synthesis in T-cell ALL cell lines and whether such cytotoxicity was dependent on an absolute increase in total dihydroceramide mass versus an increase of certain specific dihydroceramides. A novel method employing supplementation of individual fatty acids, sphinganine, and the dihydroceramide desaturase-1 (DES) inhibitor, GT-11, was used to increase de novo dihydroceramide synthesis and absolute levels of specific dihydroceramides and ceramides. Sphingolipidomic analyses of four T-cell ALL cell lines revealed strong positive correlations between cytotoxicity and levels of C22:0-dihydroceramide (ρ = 0.74–0.81, P ≤ 0.04) and C24:0-dihydroceramide (ρ = 0.84–0.90, P ≤ 0.004), but not between total or other individual dihydroceramides, ceramides, or sphingoid bases or phosphorylated derivatives. Selective increase of C22:0- and C24:0-dihydroceramide increased level and flux of autophagy marker, LC3B-II, and increased DNA fragmentation (TUNEL assay) in the absence of an increase of reactive oxygen species; pan-caspase inhibition blocked DNA fragmentation but not cell death. C22:0-fatty acid supplemented to 4-HPR treated cells further increased C22:0-dihydroceramide levels (P ≤ 0.001) and cytotoxicity (P ≤ 0.001). These data demonstrate that increases of specific dihydroceramides are cytotoxic to T-cell ALL cells by a caspase-independent, mixed cell death mechanism associated with increased autophagy and suggest that dihydroceramides may contribute to 4-HPR-induced cytotoxicity. The targeted increase of specific acyl chain dihydroceramides may constitute a novel anticancer approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Holliday Jr.
- School of Medicine Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Stephen B. Cox
- Research and Testing Laboratory, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Min H. Kang
- School of Medicine Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
- Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Barry J. Maurer
- School of Medicine Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
- Departments of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Pediatrics and Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Requirement for antiapoptotic MCL-1 in the survival of BCR-ABL B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood 2013; 122:1587-98. [PMID: 23881917 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2012-06-440230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The response of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph(+)) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to treatment by BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has been disappointing, often resulting in short remissions typified by rapid outgrowth of drug-resistant clones. Therefore, new treatments are needed to improve outcomes for Ph(+) ALL patients. In a mouse model of Ph(+) B-lineage ALL, MCL-1 expression is dysregulated by the BCR-ABL oncofusion protein, and TKI treatment results in loss of MCL-1 expression prior to the induction of apoptosis, suggesting that MCL-1 may be an essential prosurvival molecule. To test this hypothesis, we developed a mouse model in which conditional allele(s) of Mcl-1 can be deleted either during leukemia transformation or later after the establishment of leukemia. We report that endogenous MCL-1's antiapoptotic activity promotes survival during BCR-ABL transformation and in established BCR-ABL(+) leukemia. This requirement for MCL-1 can be overcome by overexpression of other antiapoptotic molecules. We further demonstrate that strategies to inhibit MCL-1 expression potentiate the proapoptotic action of BCL-2 inhibitors in both mouse and human BCR-ABL(+) leukemia cell lines. Thus, strategies focused on antagonizing MCL-1 function and expression would be predicted to be effective therapeutic strategies.
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Bates DJP, Danilov AV, Lowrey CH, Eastman A. Vinblastine rapidly induces NOXA and acutely sensitizes primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells to ABT-737. Mol Cancer Ther 2013; 12:1504-14. [PMID: 23723123 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-12-1197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Proteins of the BCL2 family provide a survival mechanism in many human malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The BCL2 inhibitor ABT-263 (navitoclax) is active in clinical trials for lymphoid malignancies, yet resistance is expected on the basis of preclinical models. We recently showed that vinblastine can dramatically sensitize several leukemia cell lines to ABT-737 (the experimental congener of ABT-263). The goal of these experiments was to determine the impact of vinblastine on ABT-737 sensitivity in CLL cells isolated from peripheral blood and to define the underlying mechanism. Freshly isolated CLL cells from 35 patients, as well as normal lymphocytes and platelets, were incubated with various microtubule-disrupting agents plus ABT-737 to assess sensitivity to the single agents and the combination. ABT-737 and vinblastine displayed a range of sensitivity as single agents, and vinblastine markedly sensitized all CLL samples to ABT-737 within six hours. Vinblastine potently induced the proapoptotic protein PMAIP1 (NOXA) in both time- and dose-dependent manner and this was required for the observed apoptosis. Combretastatin A4, which dissociates microtubules by binding to a different site, had the same effect, confirming that interaction of these agents with microtubules is the initial target. Similarly, vincristine and vinorelbine induced NOXA and enhanced CLL sensitivity to ABT-737. Furthermore, vinblastine plus ABT-737 overcame stroma-mediated resistance to ABT-737 alone. Apoptosis was induced with clinically achievable concentrations with no additional toxicity to normal lymphocytes or platelets. These results suggest that vinca alkaloids may improve the clinical efficacy of ABT-263 in patients with CLL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy J P Bates
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
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Gao Y, Koide K. Chemical perturbation of Mcl-1 pre-mRNA splicing to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. ACS Chem Biol 2013; 8:895-900. [PMID: 23485022 DOI: 10.1021/cb300602j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL1) gene encodes antiapoptotic Mcl-1(L) and proapoptotic Mcl-1(S) proteins. In cancer, the Mcl-1(L)/Mcl-1(S) ratio is very high, accounting for the antiapoptotic nature of cancer cells. As such, reducing this ratio can render the cancer cells prone to apoptosis. The Mcl-1(L)/Mcl-1(S) ratio is determined in the alternative pre-mRNA splicing step that is regulated by splicing factor 3B1 (SF3B1). Here, we report that meayamycin B, a potent inhibitor of SF3B1, reversed the dominant isoform from Mcl-1(L) to Mcl-1(S) at the mRNA and protein levels. The resulting proapoptotic cellular environment was further exploited; when meayamycin B was combined with Bcl-x(L) inhibitor ABT-737, the combination treatment triggered apoptosis in nonsmall cell lung cancer A549 and H1299 cells that were otherwise resistant to ABT-737. These results demonstrate that perturbation of the MCL1 splicing with small molecule inhibitors of SF3B1 provides a means to sensitize cancer cells toward Bcl-x(L) inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Gao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15260, United States
| | - Kazunori Koide
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15260, United States
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50
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Rebbaa A, Patil G, Yalcin M, Sudha T, Mousa SA. OT-404, multi-targeted anti-cancer agent affecting tumor proliferation, chemo-resistance, and angiogenesis. Cancer Lett 2013; 332:55-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2013.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2012] [Revised: 01/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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