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Kiełbowski K, Żychowska J, Becht R. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors-a review of anticancer properties, clinical efficacy, and resistance mechanisms. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1285374. [PMID: 37954850 PMCID: PMC10634320 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1285374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Fusions and mutations of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), a tyrosine kinase receptor, have been identified in several neoplastic diseases. Rearranged ALK is a driver of tumorigenesis, which activates various signaling pathway associated with proliferation and survival. To date, several agents that target and inhibit ALK have been developed. The most studied ALK-positive disease is non-small cell lung cancer, and three generations of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been approved for the treatment of metastatic disease. Nevertheless, the use of ALK-TKIs is associated with acquired resistance (resistance mutations, bypass signaling), which leads to disease progression and may require a substitution or introduction of other treatment agents. Understanding of the complex nature and network of resistance mutations may allow to introduce sequential and targeted therapies. In this review, we aim to summarize the efficacy and safety profile of ALK inhibitors, describe off-target anticancer effects, and discuss resistance mechanisms in the context of personalized oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rafał Becht
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Chemotherapy and Cancer Immunotherapy, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
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Anti-Tumor Effects of Engineered VNP20009-Abvec-Igκ-mPD-1 Strain in Melanoma Mice via Combining the Oncolytic Therapy and Immunotherapy. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14122789. [PMID: 36559282 PMCID: PMC9781615 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death protein 1/Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune checkpoint inhibitors are the most promising treatments for malignant tumors currently, but the low response rate limits their further clinical utilization. To address this problem, our group constructed an engineered strain of VNP20009-Abvec-Igκ-mPD-1 [V-A-mPD-1 (mPD-1, murine PD-1)] to combine oncolytic bacterial therapy with immunotherapy. Further, we evaluated its growth performance and mPD-1 expression ability in vitro while establishing the melanoma mice model to explore its potential anti-cancer effects in tumor therapy. Our results indicated that the V-A-mPD-1 strain has superior growth performance and can invade B16F10 melanoma cells and express PD-1. In addition, in the melanoma mice model, we observed a marked reduction in tumor volume and the formation of a larger necrotic area. V-A-mPD-1 administration resulted in a high expression of mPD-1 at the tumor site, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation via the down-regulation of the expression of rat sarcoma (Ras), phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-MEK)/MEK, and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK)/ERK expression significantly inhibited tumor cell proliferation. Tumor cell apoptosis was promoted by down-regulating phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathways, as evidenced by an increased Bcl-2-associated X protein/B cell lymphoma-2 (Bax/Bcl-2) expression ratio. Meanwhile, the expression levels of systemic inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), were substantially reduced. In conclusion, our research demonstrated that V-A-mPD-1 has an excellent anti-tumor effect, prompting that the combined application of microbial therapy and immunotherapy is a feasible cancer treatment strategy.
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Deng X, Wang Z, Luo Y, Li Z, Chen L. Prediction of lung squamous cell carcinoma immune microenvironment and immunotherapy efficiency with pyroptosis-derived genes. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e30304. [PMID: 36123889 PMCID: PMC9478317 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000030304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is a common subtype of lung cancer that exhibits diverse pyroptosis regulatory patterns. Studies have highlighted the significance of pyroptosis in cancer invasion and immune responses. We aimed to explore the signatures of pyroptosis-related genes and their immune relevance in LUSC. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUSC cohort and 5 gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets, we performed consensus clustering based on 41 pyroptosis-related genes, and single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was employed to calculate the infiltration levels of distinct clusters. A pyroptosis scoring scheme using the principal component analysis (PCA) method was used to quantify pyroptosis regulation in patients with LUSC and predict their prognosis. Four pyroptosis clusters were identified among 833 LUSC samples, which were associated with different Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genome (KEGG) signaling pathways and tumor microenvironment infiltration features, and were highly consistent with 4 reported immune phenotypes: immune-responsive, immune-non-functional, immune-exclusion, and immune-ignorance. We then divided the patients into high- and low-pyroptosis score subgroups, and patients with higher scores were characterized by prolonged survival and attenuated immune infiltration. Moreover, higher scores were correlated with male patients, higher microsatellite instability, lower immune checkpoint inhibitor expression (such as CTLA-4 and GAL-9), and high mutation rates of typical mutated genes (e.g., TP53 and TTN). In particular, patients with lower pyroptosis scores showed better immune response to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. Pyroptosis regulatory patterns in the immune microenvironment can predict the clinical outcomes of patients with LUSC. Accurately quantifying the pyroptosis of individual patients will strengthen the understanding of heterogeneity within the LUSC tumor microenvironment infiltration areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaheng Deng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhibo Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Luo
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhihua Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Liang Chen, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210000, China (e-mail: )
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Guo Y, Guo H, Zhang Y, Cui J. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-special immunity and immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:908894. [PMID: 35958559 PMCID: PMC9359062 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.908894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alterations in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene play a key role in the development of various human tumors, and targeted therapy has transformed the treatment paradigm for these oncogene-driven tumors. However, primary or acquired resistance remains a challenge. ALK gene variants (such as gene rearrangements and mutations) also play a key role in the tumor immune microenvironment. Immunotherapy targeting the ALK gene has potential clinical applications. Here, we review the results of recent studies on the immunological relevance of ALK-altered tumors, which provides important insights into the development of tumor immunotherapies targeting this large class of tumors.
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Li Y, Sharma A, Wu X, Weiher H, Skowasch D, Essler M, Schmidt-Wolf IGH. A Combination of Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells With PD-1 Blockade and ALK Inhibitor Showed Substantial Intrinsic Variability Across Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Lines. Front Oncol 2022; 12:713476. [PMID: 35646685 PMCID: PMC9130779 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.713476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer heterogeneity poses a serious challenge concerning the toxicity and adverse effects of therapeutic inhibitors, especially when it comes to combinatorial therapies that involve multiple targeted inhibitors. In particular, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a number of studies have reported synergistic effects of drug combinations in the preclinical models, while they were only partially successful in the clinical setup, suggesting those alternative clinical strategies (with genetic background and immune response) should be considered. Herein, we investigated the antitumor effect of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells in combination with ALK and PD-1 inhibitors in vitro on genetically variable NSCLC cell lines. Methods We co-cultured the three genetically different NSCLC cell lines NCI-H2228 (EML4-ALK), A549 (KRAS mutation), and HCC-78 (ROS1 rearrangement) with and without nivolumab (PD-1 inhibitor) and crizotinib (ALK inhibitor). Additionally, we profiled the variability of surface expression multiple immune checkpoints, the concentration of absolute dead cells, intracellular granzyme B on CIK cells using flow cytometry as well as RT-qPCR. ELISA and Western blot were performed to verify the activation of CIK cells. Results Our analysis showed that (a) nivolumab significantly weakened PD-1 surface expression on CIK cells without impacting other immune checkpoints or PD-1 mRNA expression, (b) this combination strategy showed an effective response on cell viability, IFN-γ production, and intracellular release of granzyme B in CD3+ CD56+ CIK cells, but solely in NCI-H2228, (c) the intrinsic expression of Fas ligand (FasL) as a T-cell activation marker in CIK cells was upregulated by this additive effect, and (d) nivolumab induced Foxp3 expression in CD4+CD25+ subpopulation of CIK cells significantly increased. Taken together, we could show that CIK cells in combination with crizotinib and nivolumab can enhance the anti-tumor immune response through FasL activation, leading to increased IFN-γ and granzyme B, but only in NCI-H2228 cells with EML4-ALK rearrangement. Therefore, we hypothesize that CIK therapy may be a potential alternative in NSCLC patients harboring EML4-ALK rearrangement, in addition, we support the idea that combination therapies offer significant potential when they are optimized on a patient-by-patient basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutao Li
- Department of Integrated Oncology, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Amit Sharma
- Department of Integrated Oncology, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Xiaolong Wu
- Department of Integrated Oncology, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hans Weiher
- Department of Applied Natural Sciences, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Dirk Skowasch
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Markus Essler
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ingo G H Schmidt-Wolf
- Department of Integrated Oncology, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Du P, Xuan L, Hu T, An Z, Liu L. Serum Eicosanoids Metabolomics Profile in a Mouse Model of Renal Cell Carcinoma: Predicting the Antitumor Efficacy of Anlotinib. Front Immunol 2022; 13:824607. [PMID: 35222406 PMCID: PMC8863591 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.824607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anlotinib (ANL) shows promising efficacy in patients with renal cell cancer (RCC). Here, for the first time, a serum eicosanoid metabolomics profile and pharmacodynamics in Renca syngeneic mice treated with ANL was performed and integrated using our previous HPLC-MS/MS method and multivariate statistical analysis. The tumor growth inhibition rates of ANL were 39% and 52% at low (3 mg/kg) and high (6 mg/kg) dose levels, without obvious toxicity. A total of 15 disturbed metabolites were observed between the normal group and the model group, and the intrinsic metabolic phenotype alterations had occurred due to the treatment of ANL. A total of eight potential metabolites from the refined partial least squares (PLS) model were considered as potential predictive biomarkers for the efficacy of ANL, and the DHA held the most outstanding sensitivity and specificity with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88. Collectively, the results of this exploratory study not only provide a powerful reference for understanding eicosanoid metabolic reprogramming of ANL but also offer an innovative perspective for the development of therapeutic targets and strategies, the discovery of predictive biomarkers, and the determination of effective tumor monitoring approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Du
- Department of Pharmacy/Phase I Clinical Trial & Research Unit, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingling Xuan
- Department of Pharmacy/Phase I Clinical Trial & Research Unit, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Hu
- Department of Pharmacy/Phase I Clinical Trial & Research Unit, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhuoling An
- Department of Pharmacy/Phase I Clinical Trial & Research Unit, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lihong Liu
- Department of Pharmacy/Phase I Clinical Trial & Research Unit, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Nensi S, Ashton J. ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer; potential combination drug treatments. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2021; 21:737-748. [PMID: 34325640 DOI: 10.2174/1568009621666210729100647] [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: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Advances in chromosomally rearranged ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer have been dramatic in only the last few years. Survival times have improved dramatically due to the introduction of ever more efficacious ALK inhibitors. These improvements have been due largely to improvements in blood-brain barrier penetration and the breadth of ligand binding pocket mutations against which the drugs are effective. However, the advances maybe slow as compared to the frequency of cancers with compound resistance mutations are appearing, suggesting the need to develop multiple ALK inhibitors to target different compound mutations.Another research area that promises to provide further gains is the use of drug combinations, with an ALK inhibitor combined with a drug targeting a "second driver" to overcome resistance. In this review, the range of secondary targets for ALK+ lung cancer and the potential for their clinical success are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shrestha Nensi
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - John Ashton
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Du P, Hu T, An Z, Li P, Liu L. In vitro and in vivo synergistic efficacy of ceritinib combined with programmed cell death ligand-1 inhibitor in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer. Cancer Sci 2020; 111:1887-1898. [PMID: 32227409 PMCID: PMC7293083 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Both ceritinib (CER) and programmed cell death (PD)‐1/PD ligand‐1 (PD‐L1) have brought significant breakthroughs for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)‐rearranged non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the overall clinical efficacy of either CER or PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitor monotherapy has been limited to a large extent. In addition, the antitumor effect of combined CER and PD‐L1 inhibitor in ALK‐rearranged NSCLC is not fully understood. In H2228 cells, we examined the tumor killing effect of CER plus PD‐L1 inhibitor in vitro by quantitative RT‐PCR, flow cytometry, ELISA, western blot analysis, PBMC coculture system, and plasmid and transfection experiments. A Ba/F3 (EML4‐ALK‐WT) xenograft mouse model was also utilized to further evaluate the synergistic anticancer effects of CER and PD‐L1 inhibitor in vivo. The coculture system of PBMCs with H2228 cells promotes the expression of PD‐L1 and phospho‐ERK, and combined treatments facilitate lymphocyte proliferation and activation, inhibit PD‐L1 expression, and enhance lymphocyte cytotoxicity and cell death. In the in vivo NSCLC xenograft model, the volumes of tumors treated with CER and PD‐L1 inhibitor in combination were significantly smaller than those treated with CER or PD‐L1 alone. The relative tumor growth inhibitions were 84.9%, 20.0%, and 91.9% for CER, PD‐L1 inhibitor, and CER plus PD‐L1 groups, respectively. Ceritinib could synergize with PD‐1/PD‐L1 blockade to yield enhanced antitumor responses along with favorable tolerability of adverse effects. Ceritinib and PD‐L1 inhibitor combined produced a synergistic antineoplastic efficacy in vitro and in vivo, which provides a key insight and proof of principle for evaluating CER plus PD‐L1 blockade as combination therapy in clinical therapeutic practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Du
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Hu
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhuoling An
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Pengfei Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lihong Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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