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Jung YY, Kim C, Ha IJ, Lee SG, Lee J, Um JY, Ahn KS. Pyrimethamine Modulates Interplay between Apoptosis and Autophagy in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8147. [PMID: 34360911 PMCID: PMC8347135 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrimethamine (Pyri) is being used in combination with other medications to treat serious parasitic infections of the body, brain, or eye and to also reduce toxoplasmosis infection in the patients with HIV infection. Additionally, Pyri can display significant anti-cancer potential in different tumor models, but the possible mode of its actions remains unclear. Hence, in this study, the possible anti-tumoral impact of Pyri on human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was deciphered. Pyri inhibited cell growth in various types of tumor cells and exhibited a marked inhibitory action on CML cells. In addition to apoptosis, Pyri also triggered sustained autophagy. Targeted inhibition of autophagy sensitized the tumor cells to Pyri-induced apoptotic cell death. Moreover, the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) and its downstream target gene Bcl-2 was attenuated by Pyri. Accordingly, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated STAT5 knockdown augmented Pyri-induced autophagy and apoptosis and promoted the suppressive action of Pyri on cell viability. Moreover, ectopic overexpression of Bcl-2 protected the cells from Pyri-mediated autophagy and apoptosis. Overall, the data indicated that the attenuation of STAT5-Bcl-2 cascade by Pyri can regulate its growth inhibitory properties by simultaneously targeting both apoptosis and autophagy cell death mechanism(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Yun Jung
- Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 24 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea; (Y.Y.J.); (C.K.); (S.-G.L.); (J.-Y.U.)
| | - Chulwon Kim
- Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 24 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea; (Y.Y.J.); (C.K.); (S.-G.L.); (J.-Y.U.)
| | - In Jin Ha
- Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center (K-CTC), Korean Medicine Hospital, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; (I.J.H.); (J.L.)
| | - Seok-Geun Lee
- Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 24 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea; (Y.Y.J.); (C.K.); (S.-G.L.); (J.-Y.U.)
- Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center (K-CTC), Korean Medicine Hospital, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; (I.J.H.); (J.L.)
| | - Junhee Lee
- Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center (K-CTC), Korean Medicine Hospital, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; (I.J.H.); (J.L.)
| | - Jae-Young Um
- Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 24 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea; (Y.Y.J.); (C.K.); (S.-G.L.); (J.-Y.U.)
| | - Kwang Seok Ahn
- Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 24 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea; (Y.Y.J.); (C.K.); (S.-G.L.); (J.-Y.U.)
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Jang JW, Song Y, Kim KM, Kim JS, Choi EK, Kim J, Seo H. Hepatocellular carcinoma-targeted drug discovery through image-based phenotypic screening in co-cultures of HCC cells with hepatocytes. BMC Cancer 2016; 16:810. [PMID: 27756242 PMCID: PMC5069815 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-016-2816-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide and is associated with substantial mortality. Because HCCs have strong resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic agents, novel therapeutic strategies are needed to improve survival in HCC patients. Methods Here, we developed a fluorescence image-based phenotypic screening system in vitro to identify HCC-specific drugs in co-cultures of HCC cells with hepatocytes. To this end, we identified two distinctive markers of HCC, CHALV1 and AFP, which are highly expressed in HCC cell lines and liver cancer patient-derived materials. We applied these markers to an HCC-specific drug screening system. Results Through pilot screening, we identified three anti-folate compounds that had HCC-specific cytotoxicity. Among them, pyrimethamine exhibited the greatest HCC-specific cytotoxicity. Interestingly, pyrimethamine significantly increased the size and number of lysosomes and subsequently induced the release of cathepsin B from the lysosome to the cytosol, which triggered caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in Huh7 (HCC) but not Fa2N-4 cells (immortalized hepatocytes). Importantly, Fa2N-4 cells had strong resistance to pyrimethamine relative to Huh7 cells in 2D and 3D culture systems. Conclusion These results demonstrate that this in vitro image-based phenotypic screening platform has the potential to be widely adopted in drug discovery research, since we promptly estimated anticancer activity and hepatotoxicity and elucidated functional roles of pyrimethamine during the apoptosis process in HCC. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2816-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae-Woo Jang
- Cancer Biology Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, 16, Daewangpangyo-ro 712 beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13488, Korea.,Laboratory of Biochemistry, Division of Life Sciences, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Korea
| | - Yeonhwa Song
- Cancer Biology Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, 16, Daewangpangyo-ro 712 beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13488, Korea.,Laboratory of Biochemistry, Division of Life Sciences, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Korea
| | - Kang Mo Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, ASAN Medical center, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpagu, Seoul, 05505, Korea
| | - Jin-Sun Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, ASAN Medical center, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpagu, Seoul, 05505, Korea
| | - Eun Kyung Choi
- Division of Radiation Oncology, ASAN Medical center, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, Korea
| | - Joon Kim
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Division of Life Sciences, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Korea.
| | - Haengran Seo
- Cancer Biology Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, 16, Daewangpangyo-ro 712 beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13488, Korea.
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Giammarioli AM, Maselli A, Casagrande A, Gambardella L, Gallina A, Spada M, Giovannetti A, Proietti E, Malorni W, Pierdominici M. Pyrimethamine induces apoptosis of melanoma cells via a caspase and cathepsin double-edged mechanism. Cancer Res 2008; 68:5291-300. [PMID: 18593930 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-08-0222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The unresponsiveness of metastatic melanoma to conventional chemotherapeutic and biological agents is largely due to the development of resistance to apoptosis. Pyrimethamine belongs to the group of antifolate drugs, and in addition to antiprotozoan effects, it exerts a strong proapoptotic activity, which we recently characterized in human T lymphocytes. However, no data regarding pyrimethamine anticancer activity are available thus far. To this end, we examined the in vitro effects of pyrimethamine on apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and cell proliferation of human metastatic melanoma cell lines. The in vivo antitumor potential of pyrimethamine was evaluated in a severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mouse xenotransplantation model. Our data indicate that pyrimethamine, when used at a clinically relevant concentration, induced apoptosis in metastatic melanoma cells via the activation of the cathepsin B and the caspase cascade (i.e., caspase-8 and caspase-9) and subsequent mitochondrial depolarization. This occurred independently from CD95/Fas engagement. Moreover, pyrimethamine induced a marked inhibition of cell growth and an S-phase cell cycle arrest. Results obtained in SCID mice, injected s.c. with metastatic melanoma cells and treated with pyrimethamine, indicated a significant inhibitory effect on tumor growth. In conclusion, our results suggest that pyrimethamine-induced apoptosis may be considered as a multifaceted process, in which different inducers or regulators of apoptosis are simultaneously implicated, thus permitting death defects of melanoma cells to be bypassed or overcome. On these bases, we hypothesize that pyrimethamine could represent an interesting candidate for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.
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Pierdominici M, Giammarioli AM, Gambardella L, De Felice M, Quinti I, Iacobini M, Carbonari M, Malorni W, Giovannetti A. Pyrimethamine (2,4-diamino-5-p-chlorophenyl-6-ethylpyrimidine) induces apoptosis of freshly isolated human T lymphocytes, bypassing CD95/Fas molecule but involving its intrinsic pathway. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2005; 315:1046-57. [PMID: 16157660 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.105.086736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrimethamine (2,4-diamino-5-p-chlorophenyl-6-ethyl-pyrimidine), a folic acid antagonist, may exert, in addition to antiprotozoan effects, immunomodulating activities, including induction of peripheral blood lymphocyte apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this proapoptotic activity remain to be elucidated. Here we show that pyrimethamine, used at a pharmacologically relevant concentration, induced per se apoptosis of activated lymphocytes via the activation of the caspase-8- and caspase-10-dependent cascade and subsequent mitochondrial depolarization. Importantly, this seems to occur independently from CD95/Fas engagement. The proapoptotic activity of pyrimethamine was further confirmed in a patient with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, an immune disorder associated with a defect of Fas-induced apoptosis. In this patient, pyrimethamine treatment resulted in a "normalization" of lymphocyte apoptosis with a significant amelioration of laboratory parameters. Altogether, these results suggest a mechanism for pyrimethamine-mediated apoptosis that seems to bypass CD95/Fas engagement but fully overlaps CD95/Fas-induced subcellular pathway. On these bases, a reappraisal of the use of pyrimethamine in immune lymphoproliferative disorders characterized by defects in CD95/Fas-mediated apoptosis should be taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Pierdominici
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Eady AE, Cove JH, Layton AM. Is antibiotic resistance in cutaneous propionibacteria clinically relevant? : implications of resistance for acne patients and prescribers. Am J Clin Dermatol 2003; 4:813-31. [PMID: 14640775 DOI: 10.2165/00128071-200304120-00002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
It is well recognized that some patients with acne do not respond adequately to antibiotic therapy. It is important to distinguish antibiotic recalcitrant acne which we would suggest represents acne that shows a diminished response to treatment irrespective of the cause as opposed to 'antibiotic-resistant acne' which is acne that is less responsive to treatment as a direct consequence of skin colonization with resistant propionibacteria. Here we show that antibiotic-resistant acne is not just a theoretical possibility but a real phenomenon that could have important consequences for patients and prescribers. The relationship between skin colonization by antibiotic-resistant propionibacteria and treatment outcomes is a complex one that is explained at the follicular level by physiological differences affecting local drug concentrations. A systematic review of the literature on antibiotic-resistant propionibacteria revealed methodological shortcomings in studies of their prevalence and a paucity of evidence on their clinical significance. Despite the elucidation of resistance mechanisms in cutaneous propionibacteria, our continuing inability to distinguish between strains of Propionibacterium acnes means that we still do not fully understand how resistance spreads, although person-to-person transfer is most likely. Finally, we present a decision tree for acne management in an era of prudent antimicrobial prescribing that provides an alternative to existing treatment algorithms by placing topical retinoids and not antibiotics at the cornerstone of acne management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne E Eady
- Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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Klementiev B, Bichevaja N, Novikova T, Chebotar N, Bock E, Berezin V. A peptide agonist of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), C3, protects against developmental defects induced by a teratogen pyrimethamine. Int J Dev Neurosci 2002; 20:527-36. [PMID: 12485621 DOI: 10.1016/s0736-5748(02)00086-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural cell adhesion molecule, NCAM, not only plays an important role in neuronal migration, differentiation and formation of connections in the developing nervous system, but also in the condensation of the mesodermal mesenchyme of the limb bud. Therefore, NCAM may be regarded as a target molecule for preventive strategies aimed at minimizing the effects of teratogens affecting the prenatal development of the nervous system and the skeleton. Treatment of fetuses with the teratogen pyrimethamine results in a reduced body weight, microcephaly and malformations of the hind limbs and forelimbs, e.g. micromelia, brachydactyly and adactyly. We here show that a peptide agonist of NCAM, C3, partly prevented the defects induced by this treatment. Although intra-amniotic administration of C3 at gestational day 14 had no effect on the pyrimethamine-induced reduction in body weight, it rescued the deficit in brain weight (microcephaly), partly reversed a decrease in thickness of the cortical plate, and significantly reduced the number of malformed fetuses. In vitro, C3 promoted survival of PC12-E2 cells treated with pyrimethamine. Since C3 is a peptide mimetic of NCAM, our data strongly suggest that stimulating of NCAM results in neuroprotection in vivo and in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Klementiev
- Protein Laboratory, Institute of Molecular Pathology, Panum Institute Building 6.2., University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3C, Denmark.
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McIntosh K, Cooper E, Xu J, Mirochnick M, Lindsey J, Jacobus D, Mofenson L, Yogev R, Spector SA, Sullivan JL, Sacks H, Kovacs A, Nachman S, Sleasman J, Bonagura V, McNamara J. Toxicity and efficacy of daily vs. weekly dapsone for prevention of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus. ACTG 179 Study Team. AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1999; 18:432-9. [PMID: 10353516 DOI: 10.1097/00006454-199905000-00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dapsone is an alternative drug for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis in individuals intolerant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (T/S). There are, however, few data on the pharmacokinetics, toxicity or efficacy of dapsone in children. Design. Randomized, multicenter trial comparing daily (1 or 2 mg/kg) with weekly (4 mg/kg) dapsone regimens in 94 HIV-infected children intolerant to T/S. METHODS Hematologic and hepatic toxicity was monitored, as well as the occurrence of skin rash, PCP or death. RESULTS Initial pharmacokinetic data indicated that adequate serum dapsone concentrations were not achieved with the daily 1-mg/kg regimen; the daily dose was then increased to 2 mg/kg. Both short and long term hematologic toxicities were marginally greater in children receiving the daily 2 mg/kg compared with the weekly regimen. Allergic skin rashes were similar in children receiving the daily and weekly regimens (17% in both) and were not associated with prior history of rash with T/S. PCP occurred most frequently with the daily 1-mg/kg regimen (22.0 cases/100 patient years), least frequently with the daily 2-mg/kg regimen (0 case/100 patient years) and at intermediate frequency with the weekly regimen (9.5 cases/100 patient years). More deaths were observed in patients receiving the daily than the weekly regimen (8 vs. 2, respectively), although the deaths were not directly attributable to dapsone treatment. CONCLUSION Although a weekly dapsone regimen of 4 mg/kg produced less hematologic toxicity than a daily regimen of 2 mg/kg, this advantage was offset by a trend toward higher breakthrough rates of PCP.
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Affiliation(s)
- K McIntosh
- Children's Hospital, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Brun Pascaud M, Herreros E, Aliouat EM, Dei-Cas E. Evaluation of drug efficacy by using animal models or in vitro systems. FEMS IMMUNOLOGY AND MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY 1998; 22:173-9. [PMID: 9792077 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695x.1998.tb01203.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy of most therapeutic and prophylactic protocols against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia used in human patients has been tested in animal models, especially in the corticosteroid-treated rat. The advantages and drawbacks of this model have been examined in brief in Chapter 1 of this section. More recently, the nude rat, intratracheally inoculated with Pneumocystis, was used to test new anti-microbian molecules for their anti-Pneumocystis activity. In vitro systems, co-cultures of Pneumocystis with feeder cells as well as axenic cultures, were also used many times for drug screening. In this paper, the most used in vivo or in vitro drug screening systems are described. Moreover, as immunocompromised individuals, AIDS patients, especially, are often infected simultaneously by several infectious agents, a recent co-infection model is described.
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