1
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Taneja N, Chauhan A, Kulshreshtha R, Singh S. HIF-1 mediated metabolic reprogramming in cancer: Mechanisms and therapeutic implications. Life Sci 2024; 352:122890. [PMID: 38971364 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122890] [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: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Cancer cells undergo metabolic reprogramming to survive in hypoxic conditions and meet the elevated energy demands of the cancer microenvironment. This metabolic alteration is orchestrated by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), regulating various processes within cancer cells. The intricate metabolic modifications induced by hypoxia underscore the significance of HIF-1-induced metabolic reprogramming in promoting each aspect of cancer progression. The complex interactions between HIF-1 signalling and cellular metabolic processes in response to hypoxia are examined in this study, focusing on the metabolism of carbohydrates, nucleotides, lipids, and amino acids. Comprehending the various regulatory mechanisms controlled by HIF-1 in cellular metabolism sheds light on the intricate biology of cancer growth and offers useful insights for developing targeted treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Taneja
- Amity Institute of Health Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Akansha Chauhan
- Amity Institute of Health Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ritu Kulshreshtha
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India
| | - Sandhya Singh
- Amity Institute of Health Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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2
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Lee TW, Singleton DC, Harms JK, Lu M, McManaway SP, Lai A, Tercel M, Pruijn FB, Macann AMJ, Hunter FW, Wilson WR, Jamieson SMF. Clinical relevance and therapeutic predictive ability of hypoxia biomarkers in head and neck cancer tumour models. Mol Oncol 2024. [PMID: 38426642 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumour hypoxia promotes poor patient outcomes, with particularly strong evidence for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). To effectively target hypoxia, therapies require selection biomarkers and preclinical models that can accurately model tumour hypoxia. We established 20 patient-derived xenograft (PDX) and cell line-derived xenograft (CDX) models of HNSCC that we characterised for their fidelity to represent clinical HNSCC in gene expression, hypoxia status and proliferation and that were evaluated for their sensitivity to hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs). PDX models showed greater fidelity in gene expression to clinical HNSCC than cell lines, as did CDX models relative to their paired cell lines. PDX models were significantly more hypoxic than CDX models, as assessed by hypoxia gene signatures and pimonidazole immunohistochemistry, and showed similar hypoxia gene expression to clinical HNSCC tumours. Hypoxia or proliferation status alone could not determine HAP sensitivity across our 20 HNSCC and two non-HNSCC tumour models by either tumour growth inhibition or killing of hypoxia cells in an ex vivo clonogenic assay. In summary, our tumour models provide clinically relevant HNSCC models that are suitable for evaluating hypoxia-targeting therapies; however, additional biomarkers to hypoxia are required to accurately predict drug sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tet Woo Lee
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Dean C Singleton
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Julia K Harms
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Man Lu
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sarah P McManaway
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Amy Lai
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Moana Tercel
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Frederik B Pruijn
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Andrew M J Macann
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand
| | - Francis W Hunter
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Oncology Therapeutic Area, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, USA
| | - William R Wilson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Stephen M F Jamieson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
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3
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Theys J, Patterson AV, Mowday AM. Clostridium Bacteria: Harnessing Tumour Necrosis for Targeted Gene Delivery. Mol Diagn Ther 2024; 28:141-151. [PMID: 38302842 PMCID: PMC10925577 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-024-00695-0] [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] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Necrosis is a common feature of solid tumours that offers a unique opportunity for targeted cancer therapy as it is absent from normal healthy tissues. Tumour necrosis provides an ideal environment for germination of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium from endospores, resulting in tumour-specific colonisation. Two main species, Clostridium novyi-NT and Clostridium sporogenes, are at the forefront of this therapy, showing promise in preclinical models. However, anti-tumour activity is modest when used as a single agent, encouraging development of Clostridium as a tumour-selective gene delivery system. Various methods, such as allele-coupled exchange and CRISPR-cas9 technology, can facilitate the genetic modification of Clostridium, allowing chromosomal integration of transgenes to ensure long-term stability of expression. Strains of Clostridium can be engineered to express prodrug-activating enzymes, resulting in the generation of active drug selectively in the tumour microenvironment (a concept termed Clostridium-directed enzyme prodrug therapy). More recently, Clostridium strains have been investigated in the context of cancer immunotherapy, either in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors or with engineered strains expressing immunomodulatory molecules such as IL-2 and TNF-α. Localised expression of these molecules using tumour-targeting Clostridium strains has the potential to improve delivery and reduce systemic toxicity. In summary, Clostridium species represent a promising platform for cancer therapy, with potential for localised gene delivery and immunomodulation selectively within the tumour microenvironment. The ongoing clinical progress being made with C. novyi-NT, in addition to developments in genetic modification techniques and non-invasive imaging capabilities, are expected to further progress Clostridium as an option for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Theys
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Adam V Patterson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Alexandra M Mowday
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
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4
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Ashoorzadeh A, Mowday AM, Abbattista MR, Guise CP, Bull MR, Silva S, Patterson AV, Smaill JB. Design and Biological Evaluation of Piperazine-Bearing Nitrobenzamide Hypoxia/GDEPT Prodrugs: The Discovery of CP-506. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:1517-1523. [PMID: 37974941 PMCID: PMC10641903 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Off-target aerobic activation of PR-104A by human aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) has confounded the development of this dual hypoxia/gene therapy prodrug. Previous attempts to design prodrugs resistant to AKR1C3 activation have resulted in candidates that require further optimization. Herein we report the evaluation of a lipophilic series of PR-104A analogues in which a piperazine moiety has been introduced to improve drug-like properties. Octanol-water partition coefficients (LogD7.4) spanned >2 orders of magnitude. 2D antiproliferative and 3D multicellular clonogenic assays using isogenic HCT116 and H1299 cells confirmed that all examples were resistant to AKR1C3 metabolism while producing an E. coli NfsA nitroreductase-mediated bystander effect. Prodrugs 16, 17, and 20 demonstrated efficacy in H1299 xenografts where only a minority of tumor cells express NfsA. These prodrugs and their bromo/mesylate counterparts (25-27) were also evaluated for hypoxia-selective cell killing in vitro. These results in conjunction with stability assays recommended prodrug 26 (CP-506) for Phase I/II clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Ashoorzadeh
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice
Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Alexandra M. Mowday
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice
Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Maria R. Abbattista
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Christopher P. Guise
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Matthew R. Bull
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Shevan Silva
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Adam V. Patterson
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice
Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Jeff B. Smaill
- Auckland
Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice
Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
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5
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Li D, Ren T, Wang X, Xiao Z, Sun G, Zhang N, Zhao L, Zhong R. Development and in vitro evaluation of carmustine delivery platform: A hypoxia-sensitive anti-drug resistant nanomicelle with BBB penetrating ability. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 167:115631. [PMID: 37804814 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioma is extremely difficult to be completely excised by surgery due to its invasive nature. Thus, chemotherapy still is the mainstay in the treatment of glioma after surgery. However, the natural blood-brain barrier (BBB) greatly restricts the penetration of chemotherapeutic agents into the central nervous system. As a front-line anti-glioma agent in clinical, carmustine (BCNU) exerts antitumor effect by inducing DNA damage at the O6 position of guanine. However, the therapeutic effect of BCNU was largely decreased because of the drug resistance mediated by O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) and insufficient local drug concentrations. To overcome these obstacles, we synthesized a BCNU-loaded hypoxia-responsive nano-micelle with BBB penetrating capacity and AGT inhibitory activity, named as T80-HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs. In this nano-system, Tween 80 (T80) serves as a functional coating on the surface of the micelle, promoting transportation across the BBB. Hyaluronic acid (HA) with active tumor-targeting capability was linked with the hydrophobic O6-benzylguanine (BG) analog via a hypoxia-sensitive azo bond. Under hypoxic tumor microenvironment, the azo bond selectively breaks to release O6-BG as AGT inhibitor and BCNU as DNA alkylating agent. The synthesized T80-HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs showed good stability, favorable biocompatibility and hypoxia-responsive drug-releasing ability. T80 modification improved the transportation of the micelle across an in vitro BBB model. Moreover, T80-HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs exhibited significantly enhanced cytotoxicity against glioma cell lines with high AGT expression compared with traditional combined medication of BCNU plus O6-BG. We expect that the tumor-targeting nano-micelle designed for chloroethylnitrosourea will provide new tools for the development of effective glioma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duo Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Ting Ren
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Zhixuan Xiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Guohui Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Lijiao Zhao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Rugang Zhong
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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6
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Cao S, Wang Y, Li D, Peng X. H 2 O 2 -Inducible DNA Cross-linking Agents Capable of Releasing Multiple DNA Alkylators as Anticancer Prodrugs. ChemMedChem 2023; 18:e202300273. [PMID: 37440359 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202300273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Three compounds with arylboronate esters conjugated with two equivalent nitrogen mustards [bis(2-chloroethyl)methylamine, HN2] have been synthesized and characterized. These inactive small molecules selectively react with H2 O2 to produce multiple DNA cross-linkers, such as two HN2 molecules alongside a bisquinone methide (bisQM), leading to efficient DNA ICL formation. In comparison to other amine functional groups, using HN2 as a leaving group greatly improves the DNA cross-linking efficiency of these arylboronate esters as well as cellular activity. The introduction of HN2 in these arylboronate ester analogues favored the generation of bisQM that can directly cross-link DNA. Two equivalents of HN2 are also generated from these compounds upon treatment with H2 O2 , which directly produces DNA ICL products. The cumulative effects of HN2 and bisQM on DNA cross-linking makes these molecules highly effective H2 O2 -inducible DNA ICL agents. The three compounds with HN2 as a leaving group showed greatly enhanced cytotoxicity towards cancer cells in comparison to those containing trimethyl amine as a leaving group. This provides an effective strategy for further design of novel potential ROS-activated anticancer prodrugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Cao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, 53211, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Yibin Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, 53211, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Daniel Li
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, 53211, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Xiaohua Peng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3210 North Cramer Street, 53211, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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7
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Prospects for hypoxia-based drug delivery platforms for the elimination of advanced metastatic tumors: From 3D modeling to clinical concepts. J Control Release 2023; 353:1002-1022. [PMID: 36516901 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia is a unique characteristic of the solid tumor microenvironment. Hypoxia contributes to multi-drug resistance, metastasis and cancer relapse through numerous molecular pathways, but at the same time provides an opportunity for the development of novel drugs or modalities specifically targeting hypoxic tumor regions. Given the high significance of tumor hypoxia in therapeutic results, we here discuss a variety of hypoxia-adopted strategies, and their potential and utility in the treatment of deep-seated hypoxic tumor cells. We discuss the merits and demerits of these approaches, as well as their combination with other approaches such as photodynamic therapy. We also survey the currently available 3D hypoxia modeling systems, in particular organoid-based microfluidics. Finally, we discuss the potential and the current status of preclinical tumor hypoxia approaches in clinical trials for advanced cancer. We believe that multi-modal imaging and therapeutic hypoxia adopted drug delivery platforms could provide better efficacy and safety profiles, and more importantly personalized therapy. Determining the hypoxia status of tumors could offer a second chance for the clinical translation of hypoxia-based agents, such as hypoxia activated prodrugs (HAPs) from bench to bedside.
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8
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Singleton DC, Mowday AM, Guise CP, Syddall SP, Bai SY, Li D, Ashoorzadeh A, Smaill JB, Wilson WR, Patterson AV. Bioreductive prodrug PR-104 improves the tumour distribution and titre of the nitroreductase-armed oncolytic adenovirus ONYX-411 NTR leading to therapeutic benefit. Cancer Gene Ther 2022; 29:1021-1032. [PMID: 34837065 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-021-00409-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Advances in the field of cancer immunotherapy have stimulated renewed interest in adenoviruses as oncolytic agents. Clinical experience has shown that oncolytic adenoviruses are safe and well tolerated but possess modest single-agent activity. One approach to improve the potency of oncolytic viruses is to utilise their tumour selectivity to deliver genes encoding prodrug-activating enzymes. These enzymes can convert prodrugs into cytotoxic species within the tumour; however, these cytotoxins can interfere with viral replication and limit utility. In this work, we evaluated the activity of a nitroreductase (NTR)-armed oncolytic adenovirus ONYX-411NTR in combination with the clinically tested bioreductive prodrug PR-104. Both NTR-expressing cells in vitro and xenografts containing a minor population of NTR-expressing cells were highly sensitive to PR-104. Pharmacologically relevant prodrug exposures did not interfere with ONYX-411NTR replication in vitro. In vivo, prodrug administration increased virus titre and improved virus distribution within tumour xenografts. Colonisation of tumours with high ONYX-411NTR titre resulted in NTR expression and prodrug activation. The combination of ONYX-411NTR with PR-104 was efficacious against HCT116 xenografts, whilst neither prodrug nor virus were active as single agents. This work highlights the potential for future clinical development of NTR-armed oncolytic viruses in combination with bioreductive prodrugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean C Singleton
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. .,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. .,Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Alexandra M Mowday
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Chris P Guise
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sophie P Syddall
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sally Y Bai
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Dan Li
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Amir Ashoorzadeh
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jeff B Smaill
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - William R Wilson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Adam V Patterson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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9
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Exploring hypoxic biology to improve radiotherapy outcomes. Expert Rev Mol Med 2022; 24:e21. [DOI: 10.1017/erm.2022.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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10
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Liu Z, Zhang Y, Shen N, Sun J, Tang Z, Chen X. Destruction of tumor vasculature by vascular disrupting agents in overcoming the limitation of EPR effect. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 183:114138. [PMID: 35143895 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Nanomedicine greatly improves the efficiency in the delivery of antitumor drugs into the tumor, but insufficient tumoral penetration impairs the therapeutic efficacy of most nanomedicines. Vascular disrupting agent (VDA) nanomedicines are distributed around the tumor vessels due to the low tissue penetration in solid tumors, and the released drugs can selectively destroy immature tumor vessels and block the supply of oxygen and nutrients, leading to the internal necrosis of the tumors. VDAs can also improve the vascular permeability of the tumor, further increasing the extravasation of VDA nanomedicines in the tumor site, markedly reducing the dependence of nanomedicines on the enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR effect). This review highlights the progress of VDA nanomedicines in recent years and their application in cancer therapy. First, the mechanisms of different VDAs are introduced. Subsequently, different strategies of delivering VDAs are described. Finally, multiple combination strategies with VDA nanomedicines in cancer therapy are described in detail.
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11
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Jackson-Patel V, Liu E, Bull MR, Ashoorzadeh A, Bogle G, Wolfram A, Hicks KO, Smaill JB, Patterson AV. Tissue Pharmacokinetic Properties and Bystander Potential of Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug CP-506 by Agent-Based Modelling. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:803602. [PMID: 35211015 PMCID: PMC8861431 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.803602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia-activated prodrugs are bioactivated in oxygen-deficient tumour regions and represent a novel strategy to exploit this pharmacological sanctuary for therapeutic gain. The approach relies on the selective metabolism of the prodrug under pathological hypoxia to generate active metabolites with the potential to diffuse throughout the tumour microenvironment and potentiate cell killing by means of a “bystander effect”. In the present study, we investigate the pharmacological properties of the nitrogen mustard prodrug CP-506 in tumour tissues using in silico spatially-resolved pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (SR-PK/PD) modelling. The approach employs a number of experimental model systems to define parameters for the cellular uptake, metabolism and diffusion of both the prodrug and its metabolites. The model predicts rapid uptake of CP-506 to high intracellular concentrations with its long plasma half-life driving tissue diffusion to a penetration depth of 190 µm, deep within hypoxic activating regions. While bioreductive metabolism is restricted to regions of severe pathological hypoxia (<1 µM O2), its active metabolites show substantial bystander potential with release from the cell of origin into the extracellular space. Model predictions of bystander efficiency were validated using spheroid co-cultures, where the clonogenic killing of metabolically defective “target” cells increased with the proportion of metabolically competent “activator” cells. Our simulations predict a striking bystander efficiency at tissue-like densities with the bis-chloro-mustard amine metabolite (CP-506M-Cl2) identified as a major diffusible metabolite. Overall, this study shows that CP-506 has favourable pharmacological properties in tumour tissue and supports its ongoing development for use in the treatment of patients with advanced solid malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Jackson-Patel
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Emily Liu
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Matthew R Bull
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Amir Ashoorzadeh
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Gib Bogle
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anna Wolfram
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kevin O Hicks
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jeff B Smaill
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Adam V Patterson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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12
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Nitroaromatic Hypoxia-Activated Prodrugs for Cancer Therapy. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15020187. [PMID: 35215299 PMCID: PMC8878295 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence of “hypoxic” tissue (with O2 levels of <0.1 mmHg) in solid tumours, resulting in quiescent tumour cells distant from blood vessels, but capable of being reactivated by reoxygenation following conventional therapy (radiation or drugs), have long been known as a limitation to successful cancer chemotherapy. This has resulted in a sustained effort to develop nitroaromatic “hypoxia-activated prodrugs” designed to undergo enzyme-based nitro group reduction selectively in these hypoxic regions, to generate active drugs. Such nitro-based prodrugs can be classified into two major groups; those activated either by electron redistribution or by fragmentation following nitro group reduction, relying on the extraordinary difference in electron demand between an aromatic nitro group and its reduction products. The vast majority of hypoxia-activated fall into the latter category and are discussed here classed by the nature of their nitroaromatic trigger units.
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13
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Use of an optimised enzyme/prodrug combination for Clostridia directed enzyme prodrug therapy induces a significant growth delay in necrotic tumours. Cancer Gene Ther 2022; 29:178-188. [PMID: 33558701 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-021-00296-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Necrosis is a typical histological feature of solid tumours that provides a selective environment for growth of the non-pathogenic anaerobic bacterium Clostridium sporogenes. Modest anti-tumour activity as a single agent encouraged the use of C. sporogenes as a vector to express therapeutic genes selectively in tumour tissue, a concept termed Clostridium Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (CDEPT). Here, we examine the ability of a recently identified Neisseria meningitidis type I nitroreductase (NmeNTR) to metabolise the prodrug PR-104A in an in vivo model of CDEPT. Human HCT116 colon cancer cells stably over-expressing NmeNTR demonstrated significant sensitivity to PR-104A, the imaging agent EF5, and several nitro(hetero)cyclic anti-infective compounds. Chemical induction of necrosis in human H1299 xenografts by the vascular disrupting agent vadimezan promoted colonisation by NmeNTR-expressing C. sporogenes, and efficacy studies demonstrated moderate but significant anti-tumour activity of spores when compared to untreated controls. Inclusion of the pre-prodrug PR-104 into the treatment schedule provided significant additional activity, indicating proof-of-principle. Successful preclinical evaluation of a transferable gene that enables metabolism of both PET imaging agents (for vector visualisation) and prodrugs (for conditional enhancement of efficacy) is an important step towards the prospect of CDEPT entering clinical evaluation.
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14
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Interrogation of the Structure–Activity Relationship of a Lipophilic Nitroaromatic Prodrug Series Designed for Cancer Gene Therapy Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15020185. [PMID: 35215297 PMCID: PMC8877822 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PR-104A is a dual hypoxia/nitroreductase gene therapy prodrug by virtue of its ability to undergo either one- or two-electron reduction to its cytotoxic species. It has been evaluated extensively in pre-clinical GDEPT studies, yet off-target human aldo-keto reductase AKR1C3-mediated activation has limited its use. Re-evaluation of this chemical scaffold has previously identified SN29176 as an improved hypoxia-activated prodrug analogue of PR-104A that is free from AKR1C3 activation. However, optimization of the bystander effect of SN29176 is required for use in a GDEPT setting to compensate for the non-uniform distribution of therapeutic gene transfer that is often observed with current gene therapy vectors. A lipophilic series of eight analogues were synthesized from commercially available 3,4-difluorobenzaldehyde. Calculated octanol-water partition coefficients (LogD7.4) spanned > 2 orders of magnitude. 2D anti-proliferative and 3D multicellular layer assays were performed using isogenic HCT116 cells expressing E. coli NfsA nitroreductase (NfsA_Ec) or AKR1C3 to determine enzyme activity and measure bystander effect. A variation in potency for NfsA_Ec was observed, while all prodrugs appeared AKR1C3-resistant by 2D assay. However, 3D assays indicated that increasing prodrug lipophilicity correlated with increased AKR1C3 activation and NfsA_Ec activity, suggesting that metabolite loss from the cell of origin into media during 2D monolayer assays could mask cytotoxicity. Three prodrugs were identified as bono fide AKR1C3-negative candidates whilst maintaining activity with NfsA_Ec. These were converted to their phosphate ester pre-prodrugs before being taken forward into in vivo therapeutic efficacy studies. Ultimately, 2-(5-(bis(2-bromoethyl)amino)-4-(ethylsulfonyl)-N-methyl-2-nitrobenzamido)ethyl dihydrogen phosphate possessed a significant 156% improvement in median survival in mixed NfsA_Ec/WT tumors compared to untreated controls (p = 0.005), whilst still maintaining hypoxia selectivity comparable to PR-104A.
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15
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Solivio MJ, Stornetta A, Gilissen J, Villalta PW, Deschoemaeker S, Heyerick A, Dubois L, Balbo S. In Vivo Identification of Adducts from the New Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug CP-506 Using DNA Adductomics. Chem Res Toxicol 2022; 35:275-282. [PMID: 35050609 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Many chemotherapeutic drugs exert their cytotoxicity through the formation of DNA modifications (adducts), which interfere with DNA replication, an overactive process in rapidly dividing cancer cells. Side effects from the therapy are common, however, because these drugs also affect rapidly dividing noncancerous cells. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs) have been developed to reduce these side effects as they preferentially activate in hypoxic environments, a hallmark of solid tumors. CP-506 is a newly developed DNA-alkylating HAP designed to exert strong activity under hypoxia. The resulting CP-506-DNA adducts can be used to elucidate the cellular and molecular effects of CP-506 and its selectivity toward hypoxic conditions. In this study, we characterize the profile of adducts resulting from the reaction of CP-506 and its metabolites CP-506H and CP-506M with DNA. A total of 39 putative DNA adducts were detected in vitro using our high-resolution/accurate-mass (HRAM) liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS3) adductomics approach. Validation of these results was achieved using a novel strategy involving 15N-labeled DNA. A targeted MS/MS approach was then developed for the detection of the 39 DNA adducts in five cancer cell lines treated with CP-506 under normoxic and hypoxic conditions to evaluate the selectivity toward hypoxia. Out of the 39 DNA adducts initially identified, 15 were detected, with more adducts observed from the two reactive metabolites and in cancer cells treated under hypoxia. The presence of these adducts was then monitored in xenograft mouse models bearing MDA-MB-231, BT-474, or DMS114 tumors treated with CP-506, and a relative quantitation strategy was used to compare the adduct levels across samples. Eight adducts were detected in all xenograft models, and MDA-MB-231 showed the highest adduct levels. These results suggest that CP-506-DNA adducts can be used to better understand the mechanism of action and monitor the efficacy of CP-506 in vivo, as well as highlight a new role of DNA adductomics in supporting the clinical development of DNA-alkylating drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morwena J Solivio
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Alessia Stornetta
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | | | - Peter W Villalta
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | | | | | - Ludwig Dubois
- Convert Pharmaceuticals SA, Liège 4000, Belgium.,The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW─School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht 6229 ER, The Netherlands
| | - Silvia Balbo
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.,Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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16
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Alizadeh M, Yadollahi B. Niobium polyoxometalate–folic acid conjugate as a hybrid drug for cancer therapeutics. NEW J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2nj01766k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In this work, covalently bonded folic acid to niobium substituted Wells-Dawson polyoxometalate, (Bu4N)5H4[P2W15Nb3O62]-folic acid, has been synthesized and characterized. Afterward, the bioactivity behavior of this hybrid compound against cervical (HeLa)...
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17
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van der Wiel AM, Jackson-Patel V, Niemans R, Yaromina A, Liu E, Marcus D, Mowday AM, Lieuwes NG, Biemans R, Lin X, Fu Z, Kumara S, Jochems A, Ashoorzadeh A, Anderson RF, Hicks KO, Bull MR, Abbattista MR, Guise CP, Deschoemaeker S, Thiolloy S, Heyerick A, Solivio MJ, Balbo S, Smaill JB, Theys J, Dubois LJ, Patterson AV, Lambin P. Selectively Targeting Tumor Hypoxia With the Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug CP-506. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:2372-2383. [PMID: 34625504 PMCID: PMC9398139 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAP) are a promising class of antineoplastic agents that can selectively eliminate hypoxic tumor cells. This study evaluates the hypoxia-selectivity and antitumor activity of CP-506, a DNA alkylating HAP with favorable pharmacologic properties. Stoichiometry of reduction, one-electron affinity, and back-oxidation rate of CP-506 were characterized by fast-reaction radiolytic methods with observed parameters fulfilling requirements for oxygen-sensitive bioactivation. Net reduction, metabolism, and cytotoxicity of CP-506 were maximally inhibited at oxygen concentrations above 1 μmol/L (0.1% O2). CP-506 demonstrated cytotoxicity selectively in hypoxic 2D and 3D cell cultures with normoxic/anoxic IC50 ratios up to 203. Complete resistance to aerobic (two-electron) metabolism by aldo-keto reductase 1C3 was confirmed through gain-of-function studies while retention of hypoxic (one-electron) bioactivation by various diflavin oxidoreductases was also demonstrated. In vivo, the antitumor effects of CP-506 were selective for hypoxic tumor cells and causally related to tumor oxygenation. CP-506 effectively decreased the hypoxic fraction and inhibited growth of a wide range of hypoxic xenografts. A multivariate regression analysis revealed baseline tumor hypoxia and in vitro sensitivity to CP-506 were significantly correlated with treatment response. Our results demonstrate that CP-506 selectively targets hypoxic tumor cells and has broad antitumor activity. Our data indicate that tumor hypoxia and cellular sensitivity to CP-506 are strong determinants of the antitumor effects of CP-506.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M.A. van der Wiel
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Victoria Jackson-Patel
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Raymon Niemans
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ala Yaromina
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Emily Liu
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Damiënne Marcus
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Alexandra M. Mowday
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Natasja G. Lieuwes
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Rianne Biemans
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Xiaojing Lin
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Zhe Fu
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sisira Kumara
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Arthur Jochems
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Amir Ashoorzadeh
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Robert F. Anderson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kevin O. Hicks
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Matthew R. Bull
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Maria R. Abbattista
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Christopher P. Guise
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | | | | | | | - Silvia Balbo
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Jeff B. Smaill
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jan Theys
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ludwig J. Dubois
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Adam V. Patterson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Corresponding Author: Adam V. Patterson, Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. E-mail:
| | - Philippe Lambin
- The D-Lab and The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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18
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Therapeutic targeting of the hypoxic tumour microenvironment. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2021; 18:751-772. [PMID: 34326502 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-021-00539-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hypoxia is prevalent in human tumours and contributes to microenvironments that shape cancer evolution and adversely affect therapeutic outcomes. Historically, two different tumour microenvironment (TME) research communities have been discernible. One has focused on physicochemical gradients of oxygen, pH and nutrients in the tumour interstitium, motivated in part by the barrier that hypoxia poses to effective radiotherapy. The other has focused on cellular interactions involving tumour and non-tumour cells within the TME. Over the past decade, strong links have been established between these two themes, providing new insights into fundamental aspects of tumour biology and presenting new strategies for addressing the effects of hypoxia and other microenvironmental features that arise from the inefficient microvascular system in solid tumours. This Review provides a perspective on advances at the interface between these two aspects of the TME, with a focus on translational therapeutic opportunities relating to the elimination and/or exploitation of tumour hypoxia.
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19
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Restoring Tumour Selectivity of the Bioreductive Prodrug PR-104 by Developing an Analogue Resistant to Aerobic Metabolism by Human Aldo-Keto Reductase 1C3. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14121231. [PMID: 34959631 PMCID: PMC8707548 DOI: 10.3390/ph14121231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
PR-104 is a phosphate ester pre-prodrug that is converted in vivo to its cognate alcohol, PR-104A, a latent alkylator which forms potent cytotoxins upon bioreduction. Hypoxia selectivity results from one-electron nitro reduction of PR-104A, in which cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) plays an important role. However, PR-104A also undergoes ‘off-target’ two-electron reduction by human aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3), resulting in activation in oxygenated tissues. AKR1C3 expression in human myeloid progenitor cells probably accounts for the dose-limiting myelotoxicity of PR-104 documented in clinical trials, resulting in human PR-104A plasma exposure levels 3.4- to 9.6-fold lower than can be achieved in murine models. Structure-based design to eliminate AKR1C3 activation thus represents a strategy for restoring the therapeutic window of this class of agent in humans. Here, we identified SN29176, a PR-104A analogue resistant to human AKR1C3 activation. SN29176 retains hypoxia selectivity in vitro with aerobic/hypoxic IC50 ratios of 9 to 145, remains a substrate for POR and triggers γH2AX induction and cell cycle arrest in a comparable manner to PR-104A. SN35141, the soluble phosphate pre-prodrug of SN29176, exhibited superior hypoxic tumour log cell kill (>4.0) to PR-104 (2.5–3.7) in vivo at doses predicted to be achievable in humans. Orthologues of human AKR1C3 from mouse, rat and dog were incapable of reducing PR-104A, thus identifying an underlying cause for the discrepancy in PR-104 tolerance in pre-clinical models versus humans. In contrast, the macaque AKR1C3 gene orthologue was able to metabolise PR-104A, indicating that this species may be suitable for evaluating the toxicokinetics of PR-104 analogues for clinical development. We confirmed that SN29176 was not a substrate for AKR1C3 orthologues across all four pre-clinical species, demonstrating that this prodrug analogue class is suitable for further development. Based on these findings, a prodrug candidate was subsequently identified for clinical trials.
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20
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Wegge M, Dok R, Nuyts S. Hypoxia and Its Influence on Radiotherapy Response of HPV-Positive and HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5959. [PMID: 34885069 PMCID: PMC8656584 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13235959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cancers are a heterogeneous group of cancers that arise from the upper aerodigestive tract. Etiologically, these tumors are linked to alcohol/tobacco abuse and infections with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV-positive HNSCCs are characterized by a different biology and also demonstrate better therapy response and survival compared to alcohol/tobacco-related HNSCCs. Despite this advantageous therapy response and the clear biological differences, all locally advanced HNSCCs are treated with the same chemo-radiotherapy schedules. Although we have a better understanding of the biology of both groups of HNSCC, the biological factors associated with the increased radiotherapy response are still unclear. Hypoxia, i.e., low oxygen levels because of an imbalance between oxygen demand and supply, is an important biological factor associated with radiotherapy response and has been linked with HPV infections. In this review, we discuss the effects of hypoxia on radiotherapy response, on the tumor biology, and the tumor microenvironment of HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCCs by pointing out the differences between these two tumor types. In addition, we provide an overview of the current strategies to detect and target hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn Wegge
- Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.W.); (R.D.)
| | - Rüveyda Dok
- Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.W.); (R.D.)
| | - Sandra Nuyts
- Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.W.); (R.D.)
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, UZ Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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21
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Liu Q, Wang X, Li J, Wang J, Sun G, Zhang N, Ren T, Zhao L, Zhong R. Development and biological evaluation of AzoBGNU: A novel hypoxia-activated DNA crosslinking prodrug with AGT-inhibitory activity. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 144:112338. [PMID: 34678728 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112338] [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: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) are an important family of chemotherapies in clinical treatment of cancers, which exert antitumor activity by inducing the formation of DNA interstrand crosslinks (dG-dC ICLs). However, the drug resistance mediated by O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) and absence of tumor-targeting ability largely decrease the antitumor efficacy of CENUs. In this study, we synthesized an azobenzene-based hypoxia-activated combi-nitrosourea prodrug, AzoBGNU, and evaluated its hypoxic selectivity and antitumor activity. The prodrug was composed of a CENU pharmacophore and an O6-benzylguanine (O6-BG) analog moiety masked by a N,N-dimethyl-4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline segment as a hypoxia-activated trigger, which was designed to be selectively reduced via azo bond break in hypoxic tumor microenvironment, accompanied with releasing of an O6-BG analog to inhibit AGT and a chloroethylating agent to induce dG-dC ICLs. AzoBGNU exhibited significantly increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing ability toward DU145 cells under hypoxia compared with normoxia, indicating the hypoxia-responsiveness as expected. Predominant higher cytotoxicity was observed in the cells treated by AzoBGNU than those by traditional CENU chemotherapy ACNU and its combination with O6-BG. The levels of dG-dC ICLs in DU145 cells induced by AzoBGNU was remarkably enhanced under hypoxia, which was approximately 6-fold higher than those in the AzoBGNU-treated groups under normoxia and those in the ACNU-treated groups. The results demonstrated that azobenzene-based combi-nitrosourea prodrug possessed desirable tumor-hypoxia targeting ability and eliminated chemoresistance compared with the conventional CENUs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jun Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jiaojiao Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Guohui Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Ting Ren
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Lijiao Zhao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Rugang Zhong
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental & Viral Oncology, Faculty of Environment & Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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22
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Bibby BAS, Thiruthaneeswaran N, Yang L, Pereira RR, More E, McArt DG, O'Reilly P, Bristow RG, Williams KJ, Choudhury A, West CML. Repurposing FDA approved drugs as radiosensitizers for treating hypoxic prostate cancer. BMC Urol 2021; 21:96. [PMID: 34210300 PMCID: PMC8247203 DOI: 10.1186/s12894-021-00856-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The presence of hypoxia is a poor prognostic factor in prostate cancer and the hypoxic tumor microenvironment promotes radioresistance. There is potential for drug radiotherapy combinations to improve the therapeutic ratio. We aimed to investigate whether hypoxia-associated genes could be used to identify FDA approved drugs for repurposing for the treatment of hypoxic prostate cancer. Methods Hypoxia associated genes were identified and used in the connectivity mapping software QUADrATIC to identify FDA approved drugs as candidates for repurposing. Drugs identified were tested in vitro in prostate cancer cell lines (DU145, PC3, LNCAP). Cytotoxicity was investigated using the sulforhodamine B assay and radiosensitization using a clonogenic assay in normoxia and hypoxia. Results Menadione and gemcitabine had similar cytotoxicity in normoxia and hypoxia in all three cell lines. In DU145 cells, the radiation sensitizer enhancement ratio (SER) of menadione was 1.02 in normoxia and 1.15 in hypoxia. The SER of gemcitabine was 1.27 in normoxia and 1.09 in hypoxia. No radiosensitization was seen in PC3 cells. Conclusion Connectivity mapping can identify FDA approved drugs for potential repurposing that are linked to a radiobiologically relevant phenotype. Gemcitabine and menadione could be further investigated as potential radiosensitizers in prostate cancer. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12894-021-00856-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Becky A S Bibby
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
| | - Niluja Thiruthaneeswaran
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK. .,Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.
| | - Lingjian Yang
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
| | - Ronnie R Pereira
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK.,Translational Oncogenomics, CRUK Manchester Institute and CRUK Manchester Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Elisabet More
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
| | - Darragh G McArt
- Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Paul O'Reilly
- Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Robert G Bristow
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK.,Translational Oncogenomics, CRUK Manchester Institute and CRUK Manchester Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Kaye J Williams
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Ananya Choudhury
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
| | - Catharine M L West
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
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Kuek V, Hughes AM, Kotecha RS, Cheung LC. Therapeutic Targeting of the Leukaemia Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:6888. [PMID: 34206957 PMCID: PMC8267786 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, the conduct of uniform prospective clinical trials has led to improved remission rates and survival for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. However, high-risk patients continue to have inferior outcomes, where chemoresistance and relapse are common due to the survival mechanisms utilised by leukaemic cells. One such mechanism is through hijacking of the bone marrow microenvironment, where healthy haematopoietic machinery is transformed or remodelled into a hiding ground or "sanctuary" where leukaemic cells can escape chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity. The bone marrow microenvironment, which consists of endosteal and vascular niches, can support leukaemogenesis through intercellular "crosstalk" with niche cells, including mesenchymal stem cells, endothelial cells, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts. Here, we summarise the regulatory mechanisms associated with leukaemia-bone marrow niche interaction and provide a comprehensive review of the key therapeutics that target CXCL12/CXCR4, Notch, Wnt/b-catenin, and hypoxia-related signalling pathways within the leukaemic niches and agents involved in remodelling of niche bone and vasculature. From a therapeutic perspective, targeting these cellular interactions is an exciting novel strategy for enhancing treatment efficacy, and further clinical application has significant potential to improve the outcome of patients with leukaemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Kuek
- Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (V.K.); (A.M.H.); (R.S.K.)
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Anastasia M. Hughes
- Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (V.K.); (A.M.H.); (R.S.K.)
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Rishi S. Kotecha
- Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (V.K.); (A.M.H.); (R.S.K.)
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
- Department of Clinical Haematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Perth Children’s Hospital, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Laurence C. Cheung
- Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (V.K.); (A.M.H.); (R.S.K.)
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
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24
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Bruno S, Mancini M, De Santis S, Monaldi C, Cavo M, Soverini S. The Role of Hypoxic Bone Marrow Microenvironment in Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Future Therapeutic Opportunities. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22136857. [PMID: 34202238 PMCID: PMC8269413 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematologic malignancy caused by a wide range of alterations responsible for a high grade of heterogeneity among patients. Several studies have demonstrated that the hypoxic bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) plays a crucial role in AML pathogenesis and therapy response. This review article summarizes the current literature regarding the effects of the dynamic crosstalk between leukemic stem cells (LSCs) and hypoxic BMM. The interaction between LSCs and hypoxic BMM regulates fundamental cell fate decisions, including survival, self-renewal, and proliferation capacity as a consequence of genetic, transcriptional, and metabolic adaptation of LSCs mediated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). HIF-1α and some of their targets have been associated with poor prognosis in AML. It has been demonstrated that the hypoxic BMM creates a protective niche that mediates resistance to therapy. Therefore, we also highlight how hypoxia hallmarks might be targeted in the future to hit the leukemic population to improve AML patient outcomes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Bone Marrow/metabolism
- Bone Marrow/pathology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cellular Reprogramming
- Disease Management
- Disease Susceptibility
- Energy Metabolism
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic
- Humans
- Hypoxia/metabolism
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/etiology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy
- Molecular Targeted Therapy
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Tumor Microenvironment
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Bruno
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (S.B.); (S.D.S.); (C.M.); (M.C.)
| | - Manuela Mancini
- Istituto di Ematologia “Seràgnoli”, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero, Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Sara De Santis
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (S.B.); (S.D.S.); (C.M.); (M.C.)
| | - Cecilia Monaldi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (S.B.); (S.D.S.); (C.M.); (M.C.)
| | - Michele Cavo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (S.B.); (S.D.S.); (C.M.); (M.C.)
- Istituto di Ematologia “Seràgnoli”, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero, Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Simona Soverini
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (S.B.); (S.D.S.); (C.M.); (M.C.)
- Correspondence:
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25
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Simioni C, Conti I, Varano G, Brenna C, Costanzi E, Neri LM. The Complexity of the Tumor Microenvironment and Its Role in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Implications for Therapies. Front Oncol 2021; 11:673506. [PMID: 34026651 PMCID: PMC8131840 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.673506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The microenvironment that surrounds a tumor, in addition to the tumor itself, plays an important role in the onset of resistance to molecularly targeted therapies. Cancer cells and their microenvironment interact closely between them by means of a molecular communication that mutually influences their biological characteristics and behavior. Leukemia cells regulate the recruitment, activation and program of the cells of the surrounding microenvironment, including those of the immune system. Studies on the interactions between the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) cells have opened a scenario of potential therapeutic targets which include cytokines and their receptors, signal transduction networks, and hypoxia-related proteins. Hypoxia also enhances the formation of new blood vessels, and several studies show how angiogenesis could have a key role in the pathogenesis of ALL. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor-microenvironment communication and angiogenesis could contribute to the early diagnosis of leukemia and to personalized molecular therapies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Innovative Multi-Disciplinary Approaches for Precision Studies in Leukemia edited by Sandra Marmiroli (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy) and Xu Huang (University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Simioni
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) - Electron Microscopy Center, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Ilaria Conti
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Gabriele Varano
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Cinzia Brenna
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Eva Costanzi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luca M Neri
- Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) - Electron Microscopy Center, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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26
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Kang D, Cheung ST, Wong-Rolle A, Kim J. Enamine N-Oxides: Synthesis and Application to Hypoxia-Responsive Prodrugs and Imaging Agents. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2021; 7:631-640. [PMID: 34056093 PMCID: PMC8155465 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.0c01586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia induces the large-scale adaptive reprogramming of cancer cells, promoting their transformation into highly invasive and metastatic species that lead to highly negative prognoses for cancer patients. We describe the synthesis and application of a hypoxia-responsive trigger derived from previously inaccessible enamine N-oxide structures. Hypoxia-dependent reduction of this motif by hemeproteins results in the concomitant activation of a caged molecule and a latent electrophile. We exploit the former in a hypoxia-activated prodrug application using a caged staurosporine molecule as a proof-of-principle. We demonstrate the latter in in vivo tumor labeling applications with enamine-N-oxide-modified near-infrared probes. Hypoxia-activated prodrug development has long been complicated by the heterogeneity of tumor hypoxia in patients. The dual drug release and imaging modalities of the highly versatile enamine N-oxide motif present an attractive opportunity for theranostic development that can address the need not only for new therapeutics but paired methods for patient stratification.
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27
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Al-Hilal TA, Hossain MA, Alobaida A, Alam F, Keshavarz A, Nozik-Grayck E, Stenmark KR, German NA, Ahsan F. Design, synthesis and biological evaluations of a long-acting, hypoxia-activated prodrug of fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, to reduce its systemic side-effects. J Control Release 2021; 334:237-247. [PMID: 33915222 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
ROCK, one of the downstream regulators of Rho, controls actomyosin cytoskeleton organization, stress fiber formation, smooth muscle contraction, and cell migration. ROCK plays an important role in the pathologies of cerebral and coronary vasospasm, hypertension, cancer, and arteriosclerosis. Pharmacological-induced systemic inhibition of ROCK affects both the pathological and physiological functions of Rho-kinase, resulting in hypotension, increased heart rate, decreased lymphocyte count, and eventually cardiovascular collapse. To overcome the adverse effects of systemic ROCK inhibition, we developed a bioreductive prodrug of a ROCK inhibitor, fasudil, that functions selectively under hypoxic conditions. By masking fasudil's active site with a bioreductive 4-nitrobenzyl group, we synthesized a prodrug of fasudil that is inactive in normoxia. Reduction of the protecting group initiated by hypoxia reveals an electron-donating substituent that leads to fragmentation of the parent molecule. Under normoxia the fasudil prodrug displayed significantly reduced activity against ROCK compared to its parent compound, but under severe hypoxia the prodrug was highly effective in suppressing ROCK activity. Under hypoxia the prodrug elicited an antiproliferative effect on disease-afflicted pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells and pulmonary arterial endothelial cells. The prodrug displayed a long plasma half-life, remained inactive in the blood, and produced no drop in systemic blood pressure when compared with fasudil-treated controls. Due to its selective nature, our hypoxia-activated fasudil prodrug could be used to treat diseases where tissue-hypoxia or hypoxic cells are the pathological basis of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taslim A Al-Hilal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Mohammad Anwar Hossain
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Ahmed Alobaida
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia
| | - Farzana Alam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Ali Keshavarz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Eva Nozik-Grayck
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Kurt R Stenmark
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Nadezhda A German
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Fakhrul Ahsan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, California Northstate University, 9700 West Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95757, USA.
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28
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Fu Z, Mowday AM, Smaill JB, Hermans IF, Patterson AV. Tumour Hypoxia-Mediated Immunosuppression: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches to Improve Cancer Immunotherapy. Cells 2021; 10:1006. [PMID: 33923305 PMCID: PMC8146304 DOI: 10.3390/cells10051006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The magnitude of the host immune response can be regulated by either stimulatory or inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules. Receptor-ligand binding between inhibitory molecules is often exploited by tumours to suppress anti-tumour immune responses. Immune checkpoint inhibitors that block these inhibitory interactions can relieve T-cells from negative regulation, and have yielded remarkable activity in the clinic. Despite this success, clinical data reveal that durable responses are limited to a minority of patients and malignancies, indicating the presence of underlying resistance mechanisms. Accumulating evidence suggests that tumour hypoxia, a pervasive feature of many solid cancers, is a critical phenomenon involved in suppressing the anti-tumour immune response generated by checkpoint inhibitors. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms associated with hypoxia-mediate immunosuppression and focus on modulating tumour hypoxia as an approach to improve immunotherapy responsiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Fu
- Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington 6042, New Zealand; (Z.F.); (I.F.H.)
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (A.M.M.); (J.B.S.)
| | - Alexandra M. Mowday
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (A.M.M.); (J.B.S.)
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Jeff B. Smaill
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (A.M.M.); (J.B.S.)
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Ian F. Hermans
- Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington 6042, New Zealand; (Z.F.); (I.F.H.)
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (A.M.M.); (J.B.S.)
| | - Adam V. Patterson
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (A.M.M.); (J.B.S.)
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
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29
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Harper K, Yatsyna A, Charbonneau M, Brochu-Gaudreau K, Perreault A, Jeldres C, McDonald PP, Dubois CM. The Chicken Chorioallantoic Membrane Tumor Assay as a Relevant In Vivo Model to Study the Impact of Hypoxia on Tumor Progression and Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13051093. [PMID: 33806378 PMCID: PMC7961795 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13051093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hypoxia is a negative prognostic factor known to be closely associated with tumor progression and metastasis. However, existing animal models with the ability to recreate the tumor hypoxic microenvironment have disadvantages that limit our ability to understand and target this pathological condition. The chicken ChorioAllantoic Membrane (CAM) assay is increasingly used as a rapid cost-effective drug-testing model that recapitulates many aspects of human cancers. Whether this model recreates the hypoxic environment of tumors remains understudied. Here, we demonstrate that the CAM model effectively supports the development of hypoxic zones in a variety of tumor types. Treatment of tumors with angiogenesis inhibitors or inducers significantly modulated the formation of hypoxic zones as well as tumor progression and metastasis. Our findings suggest that the CAM-based tumor model is a relevant in vivo platform to further understand the pathological responses to hypoxia and test therapeutic interventions aimed at targeting hypoxic cancers. Abstract Hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment is a negative prognostic factor associated with tumor progression and metastasis, and therefore represents an attractive therapeutic target for anti-tumor therapy. To test the effectiveness of novel hypoxia-targeting drugs, appropriate preclinical models that recreate tumor hypoxia are essential. The chicken ChorioAllantoic Membrane (CAM) assay is increasingly used as a rapid cost-effective in vivo drug-testing platform that recapitulates many aspects of human cancers. However, it remains to be determined whether this model recreates the hypoxic microenvironment of solid tumors. To detect hypoxia in the CAM model, the hypoxic marker pimonidazole was injected into the vasculature of tumor-bearing CAM, and hypoxia-dependent gene expression was analyzed. We observed that the CAM model effectively supports the development of hypoxic zones in a variety of human tumor cell line-derived and patient’s tumor fragment-derived xenografts. The treatment of both patient and cell line-derived CAM xenografts with modulators of angiogenesis significantly altered the formation of hypoxic zones within the xenografts. Furthermore, the changes in hypoxia translated into modulated levels of chick liver metastasis as measured by Alu-based assay. These findings demonstrate that the CAM xenograft model is a valuable in vivo platform for studying hypoxia that could facilitate the identification and testing of drugs targeting this tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Harper
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada; (K.H.); (A.Y.); (M.C.); (K.B.-G.); (A.P.)
| | - Anna Yatsyna
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada; (K.H.); (A.Y.); (M.C.); (K.B.-G.); (A.P.)
| | - Martine Charbonneau
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada; (K.H.); (A.Y.); (M.C.); (K.B.-G.); (A.P.)
| | - Karine Brochu-Gaudreau
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada; (K.H.); (A.Y.); (M.C.); (K.B.-G.); (A.P.)
| | - Alexis Perreault
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada; (K.H.); (A.Y.); (M.C.); (K.B.-G.); (A.P.)
| | - Claudio Jeldres
- Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada;
| | - Patrick P. McDonald
- Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada;
| | - Claire M. Dubois
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada; (K.H.); (A.Y.); (M.C.); (K.B.-G.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence:
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30
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Bernauer C, Man YKS, Chisholm JC, Lepicard EY, Robinson SP, Shipley JM. Hypoxia and its therapeutic possibilities in paediatric cancers. Br J Cancer 2021; 124:539-551. [PMID: 33106581 PMCID: PMC7851391 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-020-01107-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In tumours, hypoxia-a condition in which the demand for oxygen is higher than its availability-is well known to be associated with reduced sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and with immunosuppression. The consequences of hypoxia on tumour biology and patient outcomes have therefore led to the investigation of strategies that can alleviate hypoxia in cancer cells, with the aim of sensitising cells to treatments. An alternative therapeutic approach involves the design of prodrugs that are activated by hypoxic cells. Increasing evidence indicates that hypoxia is not just clinically significant in adult cancers but also in paediatric cancers. We evaluate relevant methods to assess the levels and extent of hypoxia in childhood cancers, including novel imaging strategies such as oxygen-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Preclinical and clinical evidence largely supports the use of hypoxia-targeting drugs in children, and we describe the critical need to identify robust predictive biomarkers for the use of such drugs in future paediatric clinical trials. Ultimately, a more personalised approach to treatment that includes targeting hypoxic tumour cells might improve outcomes in subgroups of paediatric cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bernauer
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology Team, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Y K Stella Man
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology Team, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Julia C Chisholm
- Children and Young People's Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Surrey, UK
- Sarcoma Clinical Trials in Children and Young People Team, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Elise Y Lepicard
- Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Simon P Robinson
- Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Janet M Shipley
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology Team, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
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31
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Baird L, Yamamoto M. NRF2-Dependent Bioactivation of Mitomycin C as a Novel Strategy To Target KEAP1-NRF2 Pathway Activation in Human Cancer. Mol Cell Biol 2021; 41:e00473-20. [PMID: 33139492 PMCID: PMC8093492 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00473-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Activating mutations in the KEAP1-NRF2 pathway are found in approximately 25% of lung tumors, where the hijacking of NRF2's cytoprotective functions results in aggressive tumor growth, chemoresistance, and a poor prognosis for patients. There are currently no approved drugs which target aberrant NRF2 activation, which means that there is an urgent clinical need to target this orphan oncogenic pathway in human tumors. In this study, we used an isogenic pair of wild-type and Keap1 knockout cells to screen a range of chemotherapeutic and pathway-targeted anticancer drugs in order to identify compounds which display enhanced toxicity toward cells with high levels of Nrf2 activity. Through this approach, complemented by validation across a panel of eight human cancer cell lines from a range of different tissues, we identified the DNA-damaging agent mitomycin C to be significantly more toxic in cells with aberrant Nrf2 activation. Mechanistically, we found that the NRF2 target genes for cytochrome P450 reductase, NQO1, and enzymes in the pentose phosphate pathway are all responsible for the NRF2-dependent enhanced bioactivation of mitomycin C. As mitomycin C is already approved for clinical use, it represents as excellent drug repositioning candidate to target the currently untreatable NRF2 activation in human tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Baird
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Masayuki Yamamoto
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
- Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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32
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Qi YL, Guo L, Chen LL, Yuan DD, Wang HR, Cao YY, Yang YS, Zhu HL. Two birds with one stone: a NIR fluorescent probe for mitochondrial protein imaging and its application in photodynamic therapy. J Mater Chem B 2021; 9:6068-6075. [PMID: 34286809 DOI: 10.1039/d1tb00881a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondrial proteins, most of which are encoded in the nucleus and the rest of which are regulated by the mitochondrial genome, play pivotal roles in essential cellular functions. However, fluorescent probes that can be used for monitoring mitochondrial proteins have not yet been widely developed, thereby severely limiting the exploration of the functions of proteins in mitochondria. Towards this end, here we propose a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence probe MPP to effectively illuminate the dynamic changes in mitochondrial proteins in live cells under oxidative stress, with excellent temporal and spatial resolution. Of particular importance, MPP extends the study of the pharmacology involved in apoptosis induced by anti-cancer drugs (hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), epirubicin (Epi) and cyclophosphamide (CPA)) for the first time. Furthermore, employing a protein-activatable strategy, this probe could serve as an excellent phototherapeutic agent in photodynamic therapy (PDT). Finally, in vivo experiments suggest that this versatile probe can be used to image tumors in HeLa tumor-bearing mice for 24 h, which demonstrates that our probe could play a dual role as a robust phototherapeutic and imaging agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Lin Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Long Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Li-Li Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Dan-Dan Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Hai-Rong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Yu-Yao Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Yu-Shun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Hai-Liang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
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33
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Synthesis and evaluation of new dinitrobenzamide mustards in human prostate cancer. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2020; 31:127697. [PMID: 33220402 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127697] [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: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia has been widely explored over the years as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker. Herein, we have reported the design and synthesis of a series of dinitrobenzamide mustards (DNBM) based on the PR-104A hypoxia-selective prodrug. Specifically, we explored the impact of various leaving groups and the introduction of a carboxylic acid group on the biological performance of the DNBM constructs. Once in hand, the Log D values, cytotoxicity in PC-3 and DU-145 human prostate cancer cells lines and the hypoxia selectivities of the DNBM analogs were examined. Overall, the DNBM constructs were found to be tolerant to modifications with none of the explored modifications substantially degrading the cytotoxic potential of the constructs.
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Güngör T, Tokay E, Güven Gülhan Ü, Hacıoğlu N, Çelik A, Köçkar F, Ay M. Prodrugs for nitroreductase based cancer therapy-4: Towards prostate cancer targeting: Synthesis of N-heterocyclic nitro prodrugs, Ssap-NtrB enzymatic activation and anticancer evaluation. Bioorg Chem 2020; 105:104450. [PMID: 33189994 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In this study, various N-heterocyclic nitro prodrugs (NHN1-16) containing pyrimidine, triazine and piperazine rings were designed and synthesized. The final compounds were identified using FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR as well as elemental analyses. Enzymatic activities of compounds were conducted by using HPLC analysis to investigate the interaction of substrates with Ssap-NtrB nitroreductase enzyme. MTT assay was performed to evaluate the toxic effect of compounds against Hep3B and PC3 cancer cell lines and healthy HUVEC cell. It was observed that synthesized compounds NHN1-16 exhibited different cytotoxic profiles. Pyrimidine derivative NHN3 and triazine derivative NHN5 can be good drug candidates for prostate cancer with IC50 values of 54.75 µM and 48.9 µM, respectively. Compounds NHN6, NHN10, NHN12, NHN14 and NHN16 were selected as prodrug candidates because of non-toxic properties against three different cell models. The NHN prodrugs and Ssap-NtrB combinations were applied to SRB assay to reveal the prodrug capabilities of these selected compounds. SRB screening results showed that the metabolites of all selected non-toxic compounds showed remarkable cytotoxicity with IC50 values in the range of 1.71-4.72 nM on prostate cancer. Among the tested compounds, especially piperazine derivatives NHN12 and NHN14 showed significant toxic effect with IC50 values of 1.75 nM and 1.79 nM against PC3 cell compared with standart prodrug CB1954 (IC50: 1.71 nM). Novel compounds NHN12 and NHN14 can be considered as promising prodrug candidates for nitroreductase-prodrug based prostate cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuğba Güngör
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Natural Products and Drug Research Laboratory, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17020, Turkey
| | - Esra Tokay
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Balıkesir University, Balıkesir 10145, Turkey
| | - Ünzile Güven Gülhan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Gebze Technical University, Gebze-Kocaeli 41400, Turkey
| | - Nelin Hacıoğlu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Balıkesir University, Balıkesir 10145, Turkey
| | - Ayhan Çelik
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Gebze Technical University, Gebze-Kocaeli 41400, Turkey
| | - Feray Köçkar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Balıkesir University, Balıkesir 10145, Turkey.
| | - Mehmet Ay
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Natural Products and Drug Research Laboratory, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17020, Turkey.
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Subcellular Location of Tirapazamine Reduction Dramatically Affects Aerobic but Not Anoxic Cytotoxicity. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25214888. [PMID: 33105798 PMCID: PMC7660101 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25214888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is an adverse prognostic feature of solid cancers that may be overcome with hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs). Tirapazamine (TPZ) is a HAP which has undergone extensive clinical evaluation in this context and stimulated development of optimized analogues. However the subcellular localization of the oxidoreductases responsible for mediating TPZ-dependent DNA damage remains unclear. Some studies conclude only nuclear-localized oxidoreductases can give rise to radical-mediated DNA damage and thus cytotoxicity, whereas others identify a broader role for endoplasmic reticulum and cytosolic oxidoreductases, indicating the subcellular location of TPZ radical formation is not a critical requirement for DNA damage. To explore this question in intact cells we engineered MDA-231 breast cancer cells to express the TPZ reductase human NADPH: cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) harboring various subcellular localization sequences to guide this flavoenzyme to the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, cytosol or inner surface of the plasma membrane. We show that all POR variants are functional, with differences in rates of metabolism reflecting enzyme expression levels rather than intracellular TPZ concentration gradients. Under anoxic conditions, POR expression in all subcellular compartments increased the sensitivity of the cells to TPZ, but with a fall in cytotoxicity per unit of metabolism (termed ‘metabolic efficiency’) when POR is expressed further from the nucleus. However, under aerobic conditions a much larger increase in cytotoxicity was observed when POR was directed to the nucleus, indicating very high metabolic efficiency. Consequently, nuclear metabolism results in collapse of hypoxic selectivity of TPZ, which was further magnified to the point of reversing O2 dependence (oxic > hypoxic sensitivity) by employing a DNA-affinic TPZ analogue. This aerobic hypersensitivity phenotype was partially rescued by cellular copper depletion, suggesting the possible involvement of Fenton-like chemistry in generating short-range effects mediated by the hydroxyl radical. In addition, the data suggest that under aerobic conditions reoxidation strictly limits the TPZ radical diffusion range resulting in site-specific cytotoxicity. Collectively these novel findings challenge the purported role of intra-nuclear reductases in orchestrating the hypoxia selectivity of TPZ.
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Ball P, Halliwell J, Anderson S, Gwenin V, Gwenin C. Evaluation of two xenobiotic reductases from Pseudomonas putida for their suitability for magnetic nanoparticle-directed enzyme prodrug therapy as a novel approach to cancer treatment. Microbiologyopen 2020; 9:e1110. [PMID: 32979040 PMCID: PMC7568253 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Directed enzyme prodrug therapy (DEPT) is a cancer chemotherapy strategy in which bacterial enzymes are delivered to a cancer site before prodrug administration, resulting in prodrug activation at the cancer site and more localized treatment. A major limitation to DEPT is the poor effectiveness of the most studied enzyme for the CB1954 prodrug, NfnB from Escherichia coli, at concentrations suitable for human use. Much research into finding alternative enzymes to NfnB has resulted in the identification of the Xenobiotic reductases, XenA and XenB, which have been shown in the literature to reduce environmentally polluting nitro‐compounds. In this study, they were assessed for their potential use in cancer prodrug therapy strategies. Both proteins were cloned into the pET28a+ expression vector to give the genetically modified proteins XenA‐his and XenB‐his, of which only XenB‐his was active when tested with CB1954. XenB‐his was further modified to include a cysteine‐tag to facilitate direct immobilization on to a gold surface for future magnetic nanoparticle DEPT (MNDEPT) treatments and was named XenB‐cys. When tested using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), XenB‐his and XenB‐cys both demonstrated a preference for reducing CB1954 at the 4‐nitro position. Furthermore, XenB‐his and XenB‐cys successfully induced cell death in SK‐OV‐3 cells when combined with CB1954. This led to XenB‐cys being identified as a promising candidate for use in future MNDEPT treatments.
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Mowday AM, Copp JN, Syddall SP, Dubois LJ, Wang J, Lieuwes NG, Biemans R, Ashoorzadeh A, Abbattista MR, Williams EM, Guise CP, Lambin P, Ackerley DF, Smaill JB, Theys J, Patterson AV. E. coli nitroreductase NfsA is a reporter gene for non-invasive PET imaging in cancer gene therapy applications. Theranostics 2020; 10:10548-10562. [PMID: 32929365 PMCID: PMC7482819 DOI: 10.7150/thno.46826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of reporter genes to non-invasively image molecular processes inside cells has significant translational potential, particularly in the context of systemically administered gene therapy vectors and adoptively administered cells such as immune or stem cell based therapies. Bacterial nitroreductase enzymes possess ideal properties for reporter gene imaging applications, being of non-human origin and possessing the ability to metabolize a range of clinically relevant nitro(hetero)cyclic substrates. Methods: A library of eleven Escherichia coli nitroreductase candidates were screened for the ability to efficiently metabolize 2-nitroimidazole based positron emission tomography (PET) probes originally developed as radiotracers for hypoxic cell imaging. Several complementary methods were utilized to detect formation of cell-entrapped metabolites, including various in vitro and in vivo models to establish the capacity of the 2-nitroimidazole PET agent EF5 to quantify expression of a nitroreductase candidate. Proof-of-principle PET imaging studies were successfully conducted using 18F-HX4. Results: Recombinant enzyme kinetics, bacterial SOS reporter assays, anti-proliferative assays and flow cytometry approaches collectively identified the major oxygen-insensitive nitroreductase NfsA from E. coli (NfsA_Ec) as the most promising nitroreductase reporter gene. Cells expressing NfsA_Ec were demonstrably labelled with the imaging agent EF5 in a manner that was quantitatively superior to hypoxia, in monolayers (2D), multicellular layers (3D), and in human tumor xenograft models. EF5 retention correlated with NfsA_Ec positive cell density over a range of EF5 concentrations in 3D in vitro models and in xenografts in vivo and was predictive of in vivo anti-tumor activity of the cytotoxic prodrug PR-104. Following PET imaging with 18F-HX4, a significantly higher tumor-to-blood ratio was observed in two xenograft models for NfsA_Ec expressing tumors compared to the parental tumors thereof, providing verification of this reporter gene imaging approach. Conclusion: This study establishes that the bacterial nitroreductase NfsA_Ec can be utilized as an imaging capable reporter gene, with the ability to metabolize and trap 2-nitroimidazole PET imaging agents for non-invasive imaging of gene expression.
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Palmeira-Mello MV, Caballero AB, Ribeiro JM, de Souza-Fagundes EM, Gamez P, Lanznaster M. Evaluation of cobalt(III) complexes as potential hypoxia-responsive carriers of esculetin. J Inorg Biochem 2020; 211:111211. [PMID: 32805459 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2020.111211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Differentiation between hypoxic and normoxic tissues have been exploited for the development of selective chemotherapeutic agents. In this context, cobalt(III)-based coordination compounds have been designed and investigated as prospective hypoxia-responsive drug delivery systems. Three cobalt(III) complexes, namely [CoIII(esc)(py2en)]ClO4·(CH3OH)2 (1) [CoIII(esc)(TPA)]ClO4·3H2O (2) and [CoIII(bipy)2(esc)]ClO4·2.5H2O (3) (py2en = N,N'-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)ethylenediamine, TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine, bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine and esc = 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin or esculetin), were prepared and investigated as potential carriers of esculetin. The spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of 1-3 were investigated and compared. Reactions of the complexes with biologically relevant reducing agents, viz. ascorbic acid, cysteine and glutathione, were monitored spectroscopically for 24 h, in pH 6.2 and 7.4 PBS phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solutions at 37 °C, under air, argon and dioxygen atmospheres. Dissociation of esculetin was observed upon Co3+/Co2+ reduction preferably under hypoxic conditions, with more effective conversion rates for 3 > 2 > 1. These results illustrate the importance to modulate the Co3+/Co2+ redox potential through the donor-acceptor properties of the ancillary ligands. Complex 3 is cytotoxic against HCT-116 but not against HT-29 and HEK-293 cells. In addition, DNA-binding studies indicate that interactions of 1 and 3 with the biomolecule are electrostatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos V Palmeira-Mello
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro S. João Batista S/N, 24020-141 Niterói, RJ, Brazil; nanoBIC, Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Secció Química Inorgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana B Caballero
- nanoBIC, Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Secció Química Inorgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juliana Martins Ribeiro
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Elaine Maria de Souza-Fagundes
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Patrick Gamez
- nanoBIC, Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Secció Química Inorgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mauricio Lanznaster
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro S. João Batista S/N, 24020-141 Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
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Huang Y, Jin C, Yu J, Wang L, Lu W. A novel multifunctional 2-nitroimidazole-based bioreductive linker and its application in hypoxia-activated prodrugs. Bioorg Chem 2020; 101:103975. [PMID: 32474180 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia has been widely explored over the years as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker. Herein, we designed, optimized and synthesized a new multifunctional bioreductive linker (12) containing an alkynyl group (potential click chemistry fragment); the linker is based on 2-nitroimidazole which was expected to simultaneously overcome the drawbacks of hypoxia-activated prodrugs (poor selectivity and unsatisfactory water solubility). Furthermore, a hypoxia-activated, water-soluble SN-38 prodrug was obtained, and it was stable under physiological conditions and was rapidly released as an active drug under hypoxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Huang
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, PR China
| | - Chen Jin
- Xingliu (Shanghai) Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd, Room A406, 1#Building, No. 1976 Middle Gaoke Road, Shanghai 201210, PR China
| | - Jiahui Yu
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, PR China
| | - Lei Wang
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, PR China.
| | - Wei Lu
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, PR China.
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Gerard Y, Voissière A, Peyrode C, Galmier MJ, Maubert E, Ghedira D, Tarrit S, Gaumet V, Canitrot D, Miot-Noirault E, Chezal JM, Weber V. Design, synthesis and evaluation of targeted hypoxia-activated prodrugs applied to chondrosarcoma chemotherapy. Bioorg Chem 2020; 98:103747. [PMID: 32208207 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment in chondrosarcoma (CHS), a chemo- and radio-resistant cancer provides unique hallmarks for developing a chondrosarcoma targeted drug-delivery system. Tumor targeting could be achieved using a quaternary ammonium function (QA) as a ligand for aggrecan, the main high negative charged proteoglycan of the extracellular matrix of CHS, and a 2-nitroimidazole as trigger that enables hypoxia-responsive drug release. In a previous work, ICF05016 was identified as efficient proteoglycan-targeting hypoxia-activated prodrug in a human extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma model in mice and a first study of the structure-activity relationship of the QA function and the alkyl linker length was conducted. Here, we report the second part of the study, namely the modification of the nitro-aromatic trigger and the position of the proteoglycan-targeting ligand at the aromatic ring as well as the nature of the alkylating mustard. Synthetic approaches have been established to functionalize the 2-nitroimidazole ring at the N-1 and C-4 positions with a terminal tertiary alkyl amine, and to perform the phosphorylation step namely through the use of an amine borane complex, leading to phosphoramide and isophosphoramide mustards and also to a phosphoramide mustard bearing four 2-chloroethyl chains. In a preliminary study using a reductive chemical activation, QA-conjugates, except the 4-nitrobenzyl one, were showed to undergo efficient cleavage with release of the corresponding mustard. However N,N,N-trimethylpropylaminium tethered to the N-1 or C-4 positions of the imidazole seemed to hamper the enzymatic reduction of the prodrugs and all tested compounds featured moderate selectivity toward hypoxic cells, likely not sufficient for application as hypoxia-activated prodrugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvain Gerard
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Aurélien Voissière
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Caroline Peyrode
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Marie-Josephe Galmier
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Elise Maubert
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Donia Ghedira
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Sebastien Tarrit
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Vincent Gaumet
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Damien Canitrot
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Elisabeth Miot-Noirault
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Jean-Michel Chezal
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Valérie Weber
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
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Dell’Oro M, Short M, Wilson P, Bezak E. Clinical Limitations of Photon, Proton and Carbon Ion Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12010163. [PMID: 31936565 PMCID: PMC7017270 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12010163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Despite improvements in radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgical procedures over the last 30 years, pancreatic cancer 5-year survival rate remains at 9%. Reduced stroma permeability and heterogeneous blood supply to the tumour prevent chemoradiation from making a meaningful impact on overall survival. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs are the latest strategy to reintroduce oxygenation to radioresistant cells harbouring in pancreatic cancer. This paper reviews the current status of photon and particle radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer in combination with systemic therapies and hypoxia activators. Methods: The current effectiveness of management of pancreatic cancer was systematically evaluated from MEDLINE® database search in April 2019. Results: Limited published data suggest pancreatic cancer patients undergoing carbon ion therapy and proton therapy achieve a comparable median survival time (25.1 months and 25.6 months, respectively) and 1-year overall survival rate (84% and 77.8%). Inconsistencies in methodology, recording parameters and protocols have prevented the safety and technical aspects of particle therapy to be fully defined yet. Conclusion: There is an increasing requirement to tackle unmet clinical demands of pancreatic cancer, particularly the lack of synergistic therapies in the advancing space of radiation oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikaela Dell’Oro
- Cancer Research Institute and School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia; (M.S.); (E.B.)
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-435214264
| | - Michala Short
- Cancer Research Institute and School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia; (M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Puthenparampil Wilson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia;
- School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia
| | - Eva Bezak
- Cancer Research Institute and School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia; (M.S.); (E.B.)
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
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Zhong S, Jeong JH, Chen Z, Chen Z, Luo JL. Targeting Tumor Microenvironment by Small-Molecule Inhibitors. Transl Oncol 2019; 13:57-69. [PMID: 31785429 PMCID: PMC6909103 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2019.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a hypoxic, acidic, and immune/inflammatory cell–enriched milieu that plays crucial roles in tumor development, growth, progression, and therapy resistance. Targeting TME is an attractive strategy for the treatment of solid tumors. Conventional cancer chemotherapies are mostly designed to directly kill cancer cells, and the effectiveness is always compromised by their penetration and accessibility to cancer cells. Small-molecule inhibitors, which exhibit good penetration and accessibility, are widely studied, and many of them have been successfully applied in clinics for cancer treatment. As TME is more penetrable and accessible than tumor cells, a lot of efforts have recently been made to generate small-molecule inhibitors that specifically target TME or the components of TME or develop special drug-delivery systems that release the cytotoxic drugs specifically in TME. In this review, we briefly summarize the recent advances of small-molecule inhibitors that target TME for the tumor treatment. Tumor microenvironment (TME) is an indispensable part of tumor and is an important therapeutic target. TME is more penetrable and accessible than tumor cell area. Small-molecule inhibitors that target TME are very promising. The target efficiency can be improved by specific deliver and release systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangwei Zhong
- The Hunan Provincial Key Lab of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, 410008, China; Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Ji-Hak Jeong
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Zhikang Chen
- The Hunan Provincial Key Lab of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, 410008, China.
| | - Zihua Chen
- The Hunan Provincial Key Lab of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, 410008, China.
| | - Jun-Li Luo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
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Buchanan CM, Lee KL, Shepherd PR. For Better or Worse: The Potential for Dose Limiting the On-Target Toxicity of PI 3-Kinase Inhibitors. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9090402. [PMID: 31443495 PMCID: PMC6770514 DOI: 10.3390/biom9090402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The hyper-activation of the phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase signaling pathway is a hallmark of many cancers and overgrowth syndromes, and as a result, there has been intense interest in the development of drugs that target the various isoforms of PI 3-kinase. Given the key role PI 3-kinases play in many normal cell functions, there is significant potential for the disruption of essential cellular functions by PI 3-kinase inhibitors in normal tissues; so-called on-target drug toxicity. It is, therefore, no surprise that progress within the clinical development of PI 3-kinase inhibitors as single-agent anti-cancer therapies has been slowed by the difficulty of identifying a therapeutic window. The aim of this review is to place the cellular, tissue and whole-body effects of PI 3-kinase inhibition in the context of understanding the potential for dose limiting on-target toxicities and to introduce possible strategies to overcome these.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M Buchanan
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Kate L Lee
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Peter R Shepherd
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
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Harms JK, Lee TW, Wang T, Lai A, Kee D, Chaplin JM, McIvor NP, Hunter FW, Macann AMJ, Wilson WR, Jamieson SMF. Impact of Tumour Hypoxia on Evofosfamide Sensitivity in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patient-Derived Xenograft Models. Cells 2019; 8:E717. [PMID: 31337055 PMCID: PMC6678517 DOI: 10.3390/cells8070717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumour hypoxia is a marker of poor prognosis and failure of chemoradiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), providing a strategy for therapeutic intervention in this setting. To evaluate the utility of the hypoxia-activated prodrug evofosfamide (TH-302) in HNSCC, we established ten early passage patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of HNSCC that were characterised by their histopathology, hypoxia status, gene expression, and sensitivity to evofosfamide. All PDX models closely resembled the histology of the patient tumours they were derived from. Pimonidazole-positive tumour hypoxic fractions ranged from 1.7-7.9% in line with reported HNSCC clinical values, while mRNA expression of the Toustrup hypoxia gene signature showed close correlations between PDX and matched patient tumours, together suggesting the PDX models may accurately model clinical tumour hypoxia. Evofosfamide as a single agent (50 mg/kg IP, qd × 5 for three weeks) demonstrated antitumour efficacy that was variable across the PDX models, ranging from complete regressions in one p16-positive PDX model to lack of significant activity in the three most resistant models. Despite all PDX models showing evidence of tumour hypoxia, and hypoxia being essential for activation of evofosfamide, the antitumour activity of evofosfamide only weakly correlated with tumour hypoxia status determined by pimonidazole immunohistochemistry. Other candidate evofosfamide sensitivity genes-MKI67, POR, and SLFN11-did not strongly influence evofosfamide sensitivity in univariate analyses, although a weak significant relationship with MKI67 was observed, while SLFN11 expression was lost in PDX tumours. Overall, these data confirm that evofosfamide has antitumour activity in clinically-relevant PDX tumour models of HNSCC and support further clinical evaluation of this drug in HNSCC patients. Further research is required to identify those factors that, alongside hypoxia, can influence sensitivity to evofosfamide and could act as predictive biomarkers to support its use in precision medicine therapy of HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia K Harms
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Tet-Woo Lee
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Tao Wang
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Amy Lai
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Dennis Kee
- LabPLUS, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - John M Chaplin
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Nick P McIvor
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Francis W Hunter
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Andrew M J Macann
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - William R Wilson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Stephen M F Jamieson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
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Diethelm-Varela B, Ai Y, Liang D, Xue F. Nitrogen Mustards as Anticancer Chemotherapies: Historic Perspective, Current Developments and Future Trends. Curr Top Med Chem 2019; 19:691-712. [PMID: 30931858 DOI: 10.2174/1568026619666190401100519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen mustards, a family of DNA alkylating agents, marked the start of cancer pharmacotherapy. While traditionally characterized by their dose-limiting toxic effects, nitrogen mustards have been the subject of intense research efforts, which have led to safer and more effective agents. Even though the alkylating prodrug mustards were first developed decades ago, active research on ways to improve their selectivity and cytotoxic efficacy is a currently active topic of research. This review addresses the historical development of the nitrogen mustards, outlining their mechanism of action, and discussing the improvements on their therapeutic profile made through rational structure modifications. A special emphasis is made on discussing the nitrogen mustard prodrug category, with Cyclophosphamide (CPA) serving as the main highlight. Selected insights on the latest developments on nitrogen mustards are then provided, limiting such information to agents that preserve the original nitrogen mustard mechanism as their primary mode of action. Additionally, future trends that might follow in the quest to optimize these invaluable chemotherapeutic medications are succinctly suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Diethelm-Varela
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Yong Ai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Dongdong Liang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Fengtian Xue
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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Güngör T, Önder FC, Tokay E, Gülhan ÜG, Hacıoğlu N, Tok TT, Çelik A, Köçkar F, Ay M. PRODRUGS FOR NITROREDUCTASE BASED CANCER THERAPY- 2: Novel amide/Ntr combinations targeting PC3 cancer cells. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 171:383-400. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Wang Y, Shang W, Niu M, Tian J, Xu K. Hypoxia-active nanoparticles used in tumor theranostic. Int J Nanomedicine 2019; 14:3705-3722. [PMID: 31190820 PMCID: PMC6535445 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s196959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is a hallmark of malignant tumors and often correlates with increasing tumor aggressiveness and poor treatment outcomes. Therefore, early diagnosis and effective killing of hypoxic tumor cells are crucial for successful tumor control. There has been a surge of interdisciplinary research aimed at developing functional molecules and nanomaterials that can be used to noninvasively image and efficiently treat hypoxic tumors. These mainly include hypoxia-active nanoparticles, anti-hypoxia agents, and agents that target biomarkers of tumor hypoxia. Hypoxia-active nanoparticles have been intensively investigated and have demonstrated advanced effects on targeting tumor hypoxia. In this review, we present an overview of the reports published to date on hypoxia-activated prodrugs and their nanoparticle forms used in tumor-targeted therapy. Hypoxia-responsive nanoparticles are inactive during blood circulation and normal physiological conditions but are activated by hypoxia once they extravasate into the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Their use can enhance the efficiency of tumor chemotherapy, radiotherapy, fluorescence and photoacoustic intensity, and other imaging and therapeutic strategies. By targeting the broad habitats of tumors, rather than tumor-specific receptors, this strategy has the potential to overcome the problem of tumor heterogeneity and could be used to design diagnostic and therapeutic nanoparticles for a broad range of solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqin Wang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenting Shang
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Niu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Tian
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Medical Interdisciplinary Innovation, Beihang University, Beijing, 100080, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke Xu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
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Evans K, Duan J, Pritchard T, Jones CD, McDermott L, Gu Z, Toscan CE, El-Zein N, Mayoh C, Erickson SW, Guo Y, Meng F, Jung D, Rathi KS, Roberts KG, Mullighan CG, Shia CS, Pearce T, Teicher BA, Smith MA, Lock RB. OBI-3424, a Novel AKR1C3-Activated Prodrug, Exhibits Potent Efficacy against Preclinical Models of T-ALL. Clin Cancer Res 2019; 25:4493-4503. [PMID: 31015346 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-0551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OBI-3424 is a highly selective prodrug that is converted by aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C3 (AKR1C3) to a potent DNA-alkylating agent. OBI-3424 has entered clinical testing for hepatocellular carcinoma and castrate-resistant prostate cancer, and it represents a potentially novel treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We assessed AKR1C3 expression by RNA-Seq and immunoblotting, and evaluated the in vitro cytotoxicity of OBI-3424. We investigated the pharmacokinetics of OBI-3424 in mice and nonhuman primates, and assessed the in vivo efficacy of OBI-3424 against a large panel of patient-derived xenografts (PDX). RESULTS AKR1C3 mRNA expression was significantly higher in primary T-lineage ALL (T-ALL; n = 264) than B-lineage ALL (B-ALL; n = 1,740; P < 0.0001), and OBI-3424 exerted potent cytotoxicity against T-ALL cell lines and PDXs. In vivo, OBI-3424 significantly prolonged the event-free survival (EFS) of nine of nine ALL PDXs by 17.1-77.8 days (treated/control values 2.5-14.0), and disease regression was observed in eight of nine PDXs. A significant reduction (P < 0.0001) in bone marrow infiltration at day 28 was observed in four of six evaluable T-ALL PDXs. The importance of AKR1C3 in the in vivo response to OBI-3424 was verified using a B-ALL PDX that had been lentivirally transduced to stably overexpress AKR1C3. OBI-3424 combined with nelarabine resulted in prolongation of mouse EFS compared with each single agent alone in two T-ALL PDXs. CONCLUSIONS OBI-3424 exerted profound in vivo efficacy against T-ALL PDXs derived predominantly from aggressive and fatal disease, and therefore may represent a novel treatment for aggressive and chemoresistant T-ALL in an AKR1C3 biomarker-driven clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Evans
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - JianXin Duan
- Ascentawits Pharmaceuticals, Ltd, Nanshan Shenzhen, China
| | - Tara Pritchard
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Connor D Jones
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Lisa McDermott
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Zhaohui Gu
- Department of Pathology and the Hematological Malignancies Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Cara E Toscan
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Narimanne El-Zein
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Chelsea Mayoh
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Yuelong Guo
- RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Fanying Meng
- Ascentawits Pharmaceuticals, Ltd, Nanshan Shenzhen, China
| | - Donald Jung
- Ascentawits Pharmaceuticals, Ltd, Nanshan Shenzhen, China
| | - Komal S Rathi
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics and Center for Data-Driven Discovery in Biomedicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kathryn G Roberts
- Department of Pathology and the Hematological Malignancies Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Charles G Mullighan
- Department of Pathology and the Hematological Malignancies Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | | | | | | | | | - Richard B Lock
- Children's Cancer Institute, School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
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Studies Towards Hypoxia-Activated Prodrugs of PARP Inhibitors. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24081559. [PMID: 31010230 PMCID: PMC6514732 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24081559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi) have recently been approved for the treatment of breast and ovarian tumors with defects in homologous recombination repair (HRR). Although it has been demonstrated that PARPi also sensitize HRR competent tumors to cytotoxic chemotherapies or radiotherapy, normal cell toxicity has remained an obstacle to their use in this context. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs) provide a means to limit exposure of normal cells to active drug, thus adding a layer of tumor selectivity. We have investigated potential HAPs of model PARPi in which we attach a bioreducible “trigger” to the amide nitrogen, thereby blocking key binding interactions. A representative example showed promise in abrogating PARPi enzymatic activity in a biochemical assay, with a ca. 160-fold higher potency of benzyl phthalazinone 4 than the corresponding model HAP 5, but these N-alkylated compounds did not release the PARPi upon one-electron reduction by radiolysis. Therefore, we extended our investigation to include NU1025, a PARPi that contains a phenol distal to the core binding motif. The resulting 2-nitroimidazolyl ether provided modest abrogation of PARPi activity with a ca. seven-fold decrease in potency, but released the PARPi efficiently upon reduction. This investigation of potential prodrug approaches for PARPi has identified a useful prodrug strategy for future exploration.
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50
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Su MX, Zhang LL, Huang ZJ, Shi JJ, Lu JJ. Investigational Hypoxia-Activated Prodrugs: Making Sense of Future Development. Curr Drug Targets 2019; 20:668-678. [DOI: 10.2174/1389450120666181123122406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Hypoxia, which occurs in most cancer cases, disrupts the efficacy of anticarcinogens. Fortunately,
hypoxia itself is a potential target for cancer treatment. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs)
can be selectively activated by reductase under hypoxia. Some promising HAPs have been already
achieved, and many clinical trials of HAPs in different types of cancer are ongoing. However, none of
them has been approved in clinic to date. From the studies on HAPs began, some achievements are
obtained but more challenges are put forward. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress of
HAPs to discuss the strategies for HAPs development. According to the research status and results of
these studies, administration pattern, reductase activity, and patient selection need to be taken into
consideration to further improve the efficacy of existing HAPs. As the requirement of new drug research
and development, design of optimal preclinical models and clinical trials are quite important in
HAPs development, while different drug delivery systems and anticancer drugs with different mechanisms
can be sources of novel HAPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Xia Su
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Le-Le Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Zhang-Jian Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jia-Jie Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Jin-Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
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