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Wang L, Xi C, Liu R, Ye T, Xiang N, Deng J, Li H. Dual targeting of Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 to overcome chemoresistance in cervical and colon cancer. Anticancer Drugs 2024; 35:219-226. [PMID: 37948336 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000001553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
After an initial positive response to chemotherapy, cancer patients often become resistant and experience relapse. Our previous research identified eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) as a crucial target to overcome chemoresistance. In this study, we delved further into the role and therapeutic potential of myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), an eIF4E-mediated target, in chemoresistance. We showed that the levels of phosphor and total eIF4E, as well as Mcl-1, were elevated in chemoresistant cervical but not colon cancer cells. Mcl-1 inhibitor S64315 decreased Mcl-1 levels in chemoresistant cancer cells, regardless of Mcl-1 upregulation, decreased viability in chemoresistant cancer cells and acted synergistically with chemotherapy drugs. The combined inhibition of Mcl-1 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), employing both genetic and pharmacological approaches, led to a markedly more substantial decrease in viability compared with the inhibition of either target individually. The combination of S64315 and Bcl-2 inhibitors reduced tumor growth in chemoresistant cervical and colon cancer models without causing general toxicity in mice. This combination also prolonged overall survival compared with using S64315 or venetoclax alone. Our research highlights the therapeutic potential of inhibiting Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 simultaneously in chemoresistant cancers and provides a rationale for initiating clinical trials to investigate the combination of S64315 and venetoclax for the treatment of advanced colon and cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
| | - Changlei Xi
- Department of Anorectal Surgery, Jingzhou Hospital Affiliated to Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Rong Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
| | | | - Ning Xiang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
| | | | - Hui Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
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Liu L, Zhao T, Zheng S, Tang D, Han H, Yang C, Zheng X, Wang J, Ma J, Wei W, Wang Z, He S, He Q. METTL3 inhibitor STM2457 impairs tumor progression and enhances sensitivity to anlotinib in OSCC. Oral Dis 2024. [PMID: 38376115 DOI: 10.1111/odi.14864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the inhibitory effects of STM2457, which is a novel METTL3 (m6 A writer) inhibitor, both as a monotherapy and in combination with anlotinib, in the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) both in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS The efficacy of STM2457 or STM2457 plus anlotinib was evaluated using two OSCC cell lines by CCK8, transwell, colony formation, would-healing, sphere formation, cell cycle, apoptosis assays, and nude mice tumor xenograft techniques. The molecular mechanism study was carried out by western blotting, qRT-PCR, MeRIP-qPCR, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS STM2457 combined with anlotinib enhanced inhibition of cellular survival/proliferation and promotion of apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, this combinatorial approach exerted a notable reduction in stemness properties and EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) features of OSCC cells. Remarkably, in vivo studies validated the efficacy of the combination treatment. Mechanistically, our investigations revealed that the combined action of STM2457 and anlotinib exerted downregulatory effects on EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) expression in OSCC cells. CONCLUSIONS The combination of STM2457 and anlotinib targeting EGFR exerted a multiple anti-tumor effect. In near future, anlotinib combined with STM2457 may provide a novel insight for the treatment of OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianlian Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tingting Zhao
- College & Hospital of Stomatology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Siyi Zheng
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongxiao Tang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Han
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunlong Yang
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Xin Zheng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jieyi Ma
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Laboratory of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhaoyu Wang
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuqi He
- Hospital of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qianting He
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Zhang Q, Zhao J, Xu T. Inhibition of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E by tomivosertib suppresses angiogenesis, growth, and survival of glioblastoma and enhances chemotherapy's efficacy. Fundam Clin Pharmacol 2023. [PMID: 36691859 DOI: 10.1111/fcp.12877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma is characterized by extensive vascularization and is highly resistant to current therapy. Identification of drugs that target tumor directly and angiogenesis processes present an effective therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma. Mnk kinase is required for the activation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), which mediates translation of oncogenic proteins. We investigated the effects of tomivosertib, a novel MAPK-interacting kinase (MNK) inhibitor, on glioblastoma angiogenesis, growth, and survival. We found that tomivosertib inhibited growth and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis in various glioblastoma cell lines. Tomivosertib disrupted glioblastoma endothelial cell capillary network formation, growth, and survival. Mechanistically, tomivosertib acted on glioblastoma via suppressing MNK-dependent eIF4E phosphorylation and activation in tumor and endothelial cells. We further found that temozolomide activated eIF4E and this was reversed by tomivosertib. Using glioblastoma xenograft mouse model, we demonstrated that temozolomide and tomivosertib combination had higher efficacy than tomivosertib alone. Of note, tomivosertib inhibited glioblastoma angiogenesis and decreased p-eIF4E level in mice. We finally showed that p-eIF4E activation was a common molecular feature in glioblastoma patients. Our pre-clinical findings suggest that tomivosertib is a useful addition to the treatment armamentarium for glioblastoma and that targeting MNK-eIF4E pathway represents a therapeutic strategy to overcome glioblastoma chemoresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, Hubei Province, China
| | - Juan Zhao
- Department of Oncology, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, Hubei Province, China
| | - Tingwei Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, 14 Dong Street, Xiangcheng District, Xiangyang, 441021, Hubei Province, China
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