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Jo U, Arakawa Y, Zimmermann A, Taniyama D, Mizunuma M, Jenkins LM, Maity T, Kumar S, Zenke FT, Takebe N, Pommier Y. The Novel ATR Inhibitor M1774 Induces Replication Protein Overexpression and Broad Synergy with DNA-targeted Anticancer Drugs. Mol Cancer Ther 2024; 23:911-923. [PMID: 38466804 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-23-0402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) checkpoint kinase inhibitors are in clinical trials. Here we explored the molecular pharmacology and therapeutic combination strategies of the oral ATR inhibitor M1774 (Tuvusertib) with DNA-damaging agents (DDA). As single agent, M1774 suppressed cancer cell viability at nanomolar concentrations, showing greater activity than ceralasertib and berzosertib, but less potency than gartisertib and elimusertib in the small cell lung cancer H146, H82, and DMS114 cell lines. M1774 also efficiently blocked the activation of the ATR-CHK1 checkpoint pathway caused by replication stress induced by TOP1 inhibitors. Combination with non-toxic dose of M1774 enhanced TOP1 inhibitor-induced cancer cell death by enabling unscheduled replication upon replicative damage, thereby increasing genome instability. Tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomics uncovered that M1774, in the presence of DDA, forces the expression of proteins activating replication (CDC45) and G2-M progression (PLK1 and CCNB1). In particular, the fork protection complex proteins (TIMELESS and TIPIN) were enriched. Low dose of M1774 was found highly synergistic with a broad spectrum of clinical DDAs including TOP1 inhibitors (SN-38/irinotecan, topotecan, exatecan, and exatecan), the TOP2 inhibitor etoposide, cisplatin, the RNA polymerase II inhibitor lurbinectedin, and the PARP inhibitor talazoparib in various models including cancer cell lines, patient-derived organoids, and mouse xenograft models. Furthermore, we demonstrate that M1774 reverses chemoresistance to anticancer DDAs in cancer cells lacking SLFN11 expression, suggesting that SLFN11 can be utilized for patient selection in upcoming clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ukhyun Jo
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch and Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Yasuhiro Arakawa
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch and Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Daiki Taniyama
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch and Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Makito Mizunuma
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch and Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Lisa M Jenkins
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Tapan Maity
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Suresh Kumar
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch and Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Naoko Takebe
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch and Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Yves Pommier
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch and Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
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2
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Vasalou C, Proia TA, Kazlauskas L, Przybyla A, Sung M, Mamidi S, Maratea K, Griffin M, Sargeant R, Urosevic J, Rosenbaum AI, Yuan J, Aluri KC, Ramsden D, Hariparsad N, Jones RD, Mettetal JT. Quantitative evaluation of trastuzumab deruxtecan pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in mouse models of varying degrees of HER2 expression. CPT Pharmacometrics Syst Pharmacol 2024; 13:994-1005. [PMID: 38532525 PMCID: PMC11179703 DOI: 10.1002/psp4.13133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd; DS-8201; ENHERTU®) is a human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC) with demonstrated antitumor activity against a range of tumor types. Aiming to understand the relationship between antigen expression and downstream efficacy outcomes, T-DXd was administered in tumor-bearing mice carrying NCI-N87, Capan-1, JIMT-1, and MDA-MB-468 xenografts, characterized by varying HER2 levels. Plasma pharmacokinetics (PK) of total antibody, T-DXd, and released DXd and tumor concentrations of released DXd were evaluated, in addition to monitoring γΗ2AX and pRAD50 pharmacodynamic (PD) response. A positive relationship was observed between released DXd concentrations in tumor and HER2 expression, with NCI-N87 xenografts characterized by the highest exposures compared to the remaining cell lines. γΗ2AX and pRAD50 demonstrated a sustained increase over several days occurring with a time delay relative to tumoral-released DXd concentrations. In vitro investigations of cell-based DXd disposition facilitated the characterization of DXd kinetics across tumor cells. These outputs were incorporated into a mechanistic mathematical model, utilized to describe PK/PD trends. The model captured plasma PK across dosing arms as well as tumor PK in NCI-N87, Capan-1, and MDA-MB-468 models; tumor concentrations in JIMT-1 xenografts required additional parameter adjustments reflective of complex receptor dynamics. γΗ2AX longitudinal trends were well characterized via a unified PD model implemented across xenografts demonstrating the robustness of measured PD trends. This work supports the application of a mechanistic model as a quantitative tool, reliably projecting tumor payload concentrations upon T-DXd administration, as the first step towards preclinical-to-clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anna Przybyla
- AstraZeneca Research & DevelopmentWalthamMassachusettsUSA
| | - Matthew Sung
- AstraZeneca Research & DevelopmentWalthamMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Kim Maratea
- Clinical Pharmacology & Safety SciencesWalthamMassachusettsUSA
| | - Matthew Griffin
- Clinical Pharmacology & Safety SciencesWalthamMassachusettsUSA
| | | | | | - Anton I. Rosenbaum
- Integrated Bioanalysis, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety SciencesSouth San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jiaqi Yuan
- Integrated Bioanalysis, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety SciencesSouth San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Diane Ramsden
- AstraZeneca Research & DevelopmentWalthamMassachusettsUSA
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3
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Lawrence PJ, Burns B, Ning X. Enhancing drug and cell line representations via contrastive learning for improved anti-cancer drug prioritization. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:106. [PMID: 38762647 PMCID: PMC11102516 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00589-8] [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: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to cancer's complex nature and variable response to therapy, precision oncology informed by omics sequence analysis has become the current standard of care. However, the amount of data produced for each patient makes it difficult to quickly identify the best treatment regimen. Moreover, limited data availability has hindered computational methods' abilities to learn patterns associated with effective drug-cell line pairs. In this work, we propose the use of contrastive learning to improve learned drug and cell line representations by preserving relationship structures associated with drug mechanisms of action and cell line cancer types. In addition to achieving enhanced performance relative to a state-of-the-art method, we find that classifiers using our learned representations exhibit a more balanced reliance on drug- and cell line-derived features when making predictions. This facilitates more personalized drug prioritizations that are informed by signals related to drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Lawrence
- Biomedical Informatics Department, The Ohio State University, 1800 Cannon Drive, Lincoln Tower 250, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Benjamin Burns
- Computer Science and Engineering Department, The Ohio State University, 2015 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Xia Ning
- Biomedical Informatics Department, The Ohio State University, 1800 Cannon Drive, Lincoln Tower 250, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- Computer Science and Engineering Department, The Ohio State University, 2015 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- Translational Data Analytics Institute, The Ohio State University, 1760 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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4
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Shitara K, Bang YJ, Iwasa S, Sugimoto N, Ryu MH, Sakai D, Chung HC, Kawakami H, Yabusaki H, Sakamoto Y, Nishina T, Inaki K, Kuwahara Y, Wada N, Suto F, Arita T, Sugihara M, Tsuchihashi Z, Saito K, Kojima A, Yamaguchi K. Trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer: exploratory biomarker analysis of the randomized, phase 2 DESTINY-Gastric01 trial. Nat Med 2024:10.1038/s41591-024-02992-x. [PMID: 38745009 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02992-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) showed statistically significant clinical improvement in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) gastric cancer in the DESTINY-Gastric01 trial. Exploratory results from DESTINY-Gastric01 suggested a potential benefit in patients with HER2-low gastric cancer. Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in HER2 expression or gene alteration, an inherent characteristic of gastric cancer tumors, presents a challenge in identifying patients who may respond to T-DXd. Specific biomarkers related to therapeutic response have not been explored extensively. Exploratory analyses were conducted to assess baseline HER2-associated biomarkers in circulating tumor DNA and tissue samples, and to investigate mechanisms of resistance to T-DXd. Baseline HER2-associated biomarkers were correlated with objective response rate (ORR) in the primary cohort of patients with HER2+ gastric cancer. The primary cohort had 64% concordance between HER2 positivity and HER2 (ERBB2) plasma gene amplification. Other key driver gene amplifications, specifically MET, EGFR and FGFR2, in circulating tumor DNA were associated with numerically lower ORR. Among 12 patients with HER2 gain-of-function mutations, ORR was 58.3% (7 of 12). ORR was consistent regardless of timing of immunohistochemistry sample collection. Further investigations are required in larger studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Shitara
- National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan.
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
| | - Yung-Jue Bang
- Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | - Min-Hee Ryu
- Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Hyun Cheol Chung
- Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | | | - Tomohiro Nishina
- National Hospital Organization Shikoku Cancer Center, Ehime, Japan
| | | | | | - Naoya Wada
- Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | - Kaku Saito
- Daiichi Sankyo Inc., Basking Ridge, NJ, USA
| | | | - Kensei Yamaguchi
- Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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5
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Chen Z, Liu M, Wang N, Xiao W, Shi J. Unleashing the Potential of Camptothecin: Exploring Innovative Strategies for Structural Modification and Therapeutic Advancements. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3244-3273. [PMID: 38421819 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Camptothecin (CPT) is a potent anti-cancer agent targeting topoisomerase I (TOP1). However, CPT has poor pharmacokinetic properties, causes toxicities, and leads to drug resistance, which limit its clinical use. In this paper, to review the current state of CPT research. We first briefly explain CPT's TOP1 inhibition mechanism and the key hurdles in CPT drug development. Then we examine strategies to overcome CPT's limitations through structural modifications and advanced delivery systems. Though modifications alone seem insufficient to fully enhance CPT's therapeutic potential, structure-activity relationship analysis provides insights to guide optimization of CPT analogs. In comparison, advanced delivery systems integrating controlled release, imaging capabilities, and combination therapies via stimulus-responsive linkers and targeting moieties show great promise for improving CPT's pharmacological profile. Looking forward, multifaceted approaches combining selective CPT derivatives with advanced delivery systems, informed by emerging biological insights, hold promise for fully unleashing CPT's anti-cancer potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Chen
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Maoyu Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
| | - Ningyu Wang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Wenjing Xiao
- Department of Pharmacy, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command of PLA, Chengdu 610083, China
| | - Jianyou Shi
- Department of Pharmacy, Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
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6
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Torrecilla I, Ruggiano A, Kiianitsa K, Aljarbou F, Lascaux P, Hoslett G, Song W, Maizels N, Ramadan K. Isolation and detection of DNA-protein crosslinks in mammalian cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:525-547. [PMID: 38084926 PMCID: PMC10810220 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) are toxic DNA lesions wherein a protein is covalently attached to DNA. If not rapidly repaired, DPCs create obstacles that disturb DNA replication, transcription and DNA damage repair, ultimately leading to genome instability. The persistence of DPCs is associated with premature ageing, cancer and neurodegeneration. In mammalian cells, the repair of DPCs mainly relies on the proteolytic activities of SPRTN and the 26S proteasome, complemented by other enzymes including TDP1/2 and the MRN complex, and many of the activities involved are essential, restricting genetic approaches. For many years, the study of DPC repair in mammalian cells was hindered by the lack of standardised assays, most notably assays that reliably quantified the proteins or proteolytic fragments covalently bound to DNA. Recent interest in the field has spurred the development of several biochemical methods for DPC analysis. Here, we critically analyse the latest techniques for DPC isolation and the benefits and drawbacks of each. We aim to assist researchers in selecting the most suitable isolation method for their experimental requirements and questions, and to facilitate the comparison of results across different laboratories using different approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Torrecilla
- The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Annamaria Ruggiano
- The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Kostantin Kiianitsa
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
| | - Ftoon Aljarbou
- The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Pauline Lascaux
- The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Gwendoline Hoslett
- The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Wei Song
- The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Nancy Maizels
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
| | - Kristijan Ramadan
- The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
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Schöffski P, Wang CC, Schöffski MP, Wozniak A. Current Role of Topoisomerase I Inhibitors for the Treatment of Mesenchymal Malignancies and Their Potential Future Use as Payload of Sarcoma-Specific Antibody-Drug Conjugates. Oncol Res Treat 2023; 47:18-41. [PMID: 38016427 PMCID: PMC10860894 DOI: 10.1159/000535491] [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: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Topoisomerase I is an enzyme that plays a crucial part in DNA replication and transcription by the relaxation of supercoiled double-stranded DNA. Topoisomerase I inhibitors bind to the topoisomerase I cleavage complex, thereby stabilizing it and preventing the religation of the DNA strands, leading to DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. Various topoisomerase I inhibitors have been evaluated in solid tumors, and irinotecan and topotecan have been approved for the treatment of epithelial malignancies. None of them have been approved for sarcoma, a diverse group of rare solid tumors with an unmet need for effective treatments. SUMMARY Topoisomerase I inhibitors have been evaluated in preclinical studies as single agents or in combination in solid tumors, some of which have included sarcomas where activity was observed. Clinical trials evaluating topoisomerase I inhibitors for the treatment of sarcoma have shown limited efficacy as monotherapy. In combination with other cytotoxic agents, topoisomerase I inhibitors have become part of clinical routine in selected sarcoma subtypes. Regimens such as irinotecan/vincristine/temozolomide are used in relapsed rhabdomyosarcoma, irinotecan/temozolomide and vincristine/topotecan/cyclophosphamide are commonly given in refractory Ewing sarcoma, and topotecan/carboplatin showed some activity in advanced soft tissue sarcoma. This review provides an overview of key studies with topoisomerase I inhibitors for the treatment of sarcoma. Topoisomerase I inhibitors are currently also being assessed as "payloads" for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), allowing for the targeting of specific antigen-expressing tumor cells and the delivery of the inhibitor directly to the tumor cells with the potential of enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity. Here, we also provide a brief overview on topoisomerase I-ADCs. KEY MESSAGE Topoisomerase I inhibitors are an important component of some systemic therapies for selected sarcomas and have potent cytotoxic properties and pharmacological characteristics that make them relevant candidates as payloads for the development of sarcoma-specific ADCs. ADCs are antibody-based targeted agents allowing for efficient and specific delivery of a given drug to the tumor cell. Topoisomerase I-ADCs are a novel targeted delivery approach which may have the potential to improve the therapeutic index of topoisomerase I inhibitors in the treatment of sarcoma and warrants investigation in a broad variety of mesenchymal malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Schöffski
- Department of General Medical Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Chao-Chi Wang
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Agnieszka Wozniak
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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8
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Gok E, Unal N, Gungor B, Karakus G, Kaya S, Canturk P, Katin KP. Evaluation of the Anticancer and Biological Activities of Istaroxime via Ex Vivo Analyses, Molecular Docking and Conceptual Density Functional Theory Computations. Molecules 2023; 28:7458. [PMID: 38005181 PMCID: PMC10672917 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28227458] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a disease that occurs as a result of abnormal or uncontrolled growth of cells due to DNA damage, among many other causes. Certain cancer treatments aim to increase the excess of DNA breaks to such an extent that they cannot escape from the general mechanism of cell checkpoints, leading to the apoptosis of mutant cells. In this study, one of the Sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase (SERCA2a) inhibitors, Istaroxime, was investigated. There has been very limited number of articles so far reporting Istaroxime's anticancer activity; thus, we aimed to evaluate the anticancer effects of Istaroxime by cell proliferation assay and revealed the cytotoxic activity of the compound. We further determined the interaction of Istaroxime with topoisomerase enzymes through enzyme activity tests and detailed molecular modeling analysis. Istaroxime exhibited an antiproliferative effect on A549, MCF7, and PC3 cell lines and inhibited Topoisomerase I, suggesting that Istaroxime can act as a Topoisomerase I inhibitor under in vitro conditions. Molecular docking analysis supported the experimental observations. A chemical reactivity analysis of the Istaroxime molecule was made in the light of Density Functional Theory computations. For this aim, important chemical reactivity descriptors such as hardness, electronegativity, and electrophilicity were computed and discussed as detailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ege Gok
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Turkey;
| | - Naz Unal
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yeditepe University, 34755 Istanbul, Turkey; (N.U.); (B.G.)
| | - Burcin Gungor
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yeditepe University, 34755 Istanbul, Turkey; (N.U.); (B.G.)
| | - Gulderen Karakus
- Department of Pharmaceutical Basic Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Turkey;
| | - Savas Kaya
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Turkey
| | - Pakize Canturk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Turkey;
| | - Konstantin P. Katin
- Nanoengineering in Electronics, Spintronics and Photonics Institute, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, 115409 Moscow, Russia;
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Zhang M, Zhu LZ, Yang CJ, Yan JX, Wang ZP, Bai YP, Peng LZ, Luo HB, Zhang ZJ, Li L, Xu CR, Liu YQ. Improved anti-tumor activity of fluorinated camptothecin derivatives 9-fluorocamptothecin and 7-ethyl-9-fluorocamptothecin on hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting topoisomerase I. Bioorg Chem 2023; 139:106652. [PMID: 37390632 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106652] [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: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Primary liver cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers of the digestive system that lacks effective chemotherapeutic drugs in clinical settings. Camptothecin (CPT) and its derivatives have been approved for cancer treatment; however, their application is limited by their systemic toxicity. For lead optimization in new drug discovery stages, fluorination is an effective and robust approach to increase the bioavailability and optimize the pharmacokinetics of candidate compounds, thereby improving their efficacy. To obtain new and highly active CPT derivatives, we designed, synthesized, and evaluated two new fluorinated CPT derivatives, 9-fluorocamptothecin (A1) and 7-ethyl-9-fluorocamptothecin (A2), in this study. In vitro, A1 and A2 exhibited more robust anti-tumor activity than topotecan (TPT) in various cancer cells, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. In vivo, A1 and A2 exhibited greater anti-tumor activity than TPT in both AKT/Met induced primary HCC mouse models and implanted HepG2 cell xenografts. Acute toxicity tests revealed that A1 and A2 were not lethal and did not cause significant body weight loss at high doses. Moreover, A1 and A2 exhibited no significant toxicity in the mouse liver, heart, lung, spleen, kidney, and hematopoietic systems at therapeutic doses. Mechanistically, A1 and A2 blocked HCC cell proliferation by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of Topo I, subsequently inducing DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. In summary, our results indicate that fluorination improves the anti-tumor activity of CPT while decreasing its toxicity and highlight the application potential of fluorination products A1 and A2 in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China; School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Li-Zu Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China; School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Cheng-Jie Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Jia-Xuan Yan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, PR China
| | - Zhi-Ping Wang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, Gansu Nephro-Urological Clinical Center, Key Laboratory of Urological Diseases in Gansu Province, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730030, PR China
| | - Yin-Peng Bai
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China; School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Li-Zeng Peng
- Jinan AISI Pharmaceutical Technology Co Ltd, Jinan 250104, PR China
| | - Hong-Bo Luo
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Huangshi, Huangshi, Hubei 435000, PR China
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Lei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China.
| | - Chuan-Rui Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China.
| | - Ying-Qian Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China.
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Fontaine SD, Carreras CW, Reid RR, Ashley GW, Santi DV. A Very Long-acting Exatecan and Its Synergism with DNA Damage Response Inhibitors. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:908-916. [PMID: 37377899 PMCID: PMC10208276 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-22-0517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Exatecan (Exa) is a very potent inhibitor of topoisomerase I and anticancer agent. It has been intensively studied as a single agent, a large macromolecular conjugate and as the payload component of antigen-dependent antibody-drug conjugates. The current work describes an antigen-independent conjugate of Exa with polyethylene glycol (PEG) that slowly releases free Exa. Exa was conjugated to a 4-arm 40 kDa PEG through a β-eliminative cleavable linker. Pharmacokinetic studies in mice showed that the conjugate has an apparent circulating half-life of 12 hours, which reflects a composite of both the rate of renal elimination (half-life ∼18 hours) and release of Exa (half-life ∼40 hours). Remarkably, a single low dose of 10 μmol/kg PEG-Exa-only approximately 0.2 μmol/mouse-caused complete suppression of tumor growth of BRCA1-deficient MX-1 xenografts lasting over 40 days. A single low dose of 2.5 μmol/kg PEG-Exa administered with low but efficacious doses of the PARP inhibitor talazoparib showed strong synergy and caused significant tumor regression. Furthermore, the same low, single dose of PEG-Exa administered with the ATR inhibitor VX970 at doses of the DNA damage response inhibitor that do not affect tumor growth show high tumor regression, strong synergy, and synthetic lethality. Significance A circulating conjugate that slowly releases Exa is described. It is efficacious after a single dose and synergistic with ATR and PARP inhibitors.
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Kumar S, Sherman MY. Resistance to TOP-1 Inhibitors: Good Old Drugs Still Can Surprise Us. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087233. [PMID: 37108395 PMCID: PMC10138578 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Irinotecan (SN-38) is a potent and broad-spectrum anticancer drug that targets DNA topoisomerase I (Top1). It exerts its cytotoxic effects by binding to the Top1-DNA complex and preventing the re-ligation of the DNA strand, leading to the formation of lethal DNA breaks. Following the initial response to irinotecan, secondary resistance is acquired relatively rapidly, compromising its efficacy. There are several mechanisms contributing to the resistance, which affect the irinotecan metabolism or the target protein. In addition, we have demonstrated a major resistance mechanism associated with the elimination of hundreds of thousands of Top1 binding sites on DNA that can arise from the repair of prior Top1-dependent DNA cleavages. Here, we outline the major mechanisms of irinotecan resistance and highlight recent advancements in the field. We discuss the impact of resistance mechanisms on clinical outcomes and the potential strategies to overcome resistance to irinotecan. The elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of irinotecan resistance can provide valuable insights for the development of effective therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Kumar
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
| | - Michael Y Sherman
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
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Wu M, Huang W, Yang N, Liu Y. Learn from antibody–drug conjugates: consideration in the future construction of peptide-drug conjugates for cancer therapy. Exp Hematol Oncol 2022; 11:93. [DOI: 10.1186/s40164-022-00347-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractCancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide due to high heterogeneity. Although chemotherapy remains the mainstay of cancer therapy, non-selective toxicity and drug resistance of mono-chemotherapy incur broad criticisms. Subsequently, various combination strategies have been developed to improve clinical efficacy, also known as cocktail therapy. However, conventional “cocktail administration” is just passable, due to the potential toxicities to normal tissues and unsatisfactory synergistic effects, especially for the combined drugs with different pharmacokinetic properties. The drug conjugates through coupling the conventional chemotherapeutics to a carrier (such as antibody and peptide) provide an alternative strategy to improve therapeutic efficacy and simultaneously reduce the unspecific toxicities, by virtue of the advantages of highly specific targeting ability and potent killing effect. Although 14 antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) have been approved worldwide and more are being investigated in clinical trials so far, several limitations have been disclosed during clinical application. Compared with ADCs, peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) possess several advantages, including easy industrial synthesis, low cost, high tissue penetration and fast clearance. So far, only a handful of PDCs have been approved, highlighting tremendous development potential. Herein, we discuss the progress and pitfalls in the development of ADCs and underline what can learn from ADCs for the better construction of PDCs in the future.
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Huang L, Ye Q, Lan C, Wang X, Zhu Y. AZD6738 Inhibits fibrotic response of conjunctival fibroblasts by regulating checkpoint kinase 1/P53 and PI3K/AKT pathways. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:990401. [PMID: 36204234 PMCID: PMC9530343 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.990401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trabeculectomy can effectively reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma patients, the long-term surgical failure is due to the excessive proliferation and fibrotic response of conjunctival fibroblasts which causes the subconjunctival scar and non-functional filtering bleb. In this study, we demonstrated that AZD6738 (Ceralasertib), a novel potent ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase inhibitor, can inhibit the fibrotic response of conjunctival fibroblasts for the first time. Our in vitro study demonstrated that AZD6738 inhibited the level and the phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1), reduced TGF-β1-induced cell proliferation and migration, and induced apoptosis of human conjunctival fibroblasts (HConFs) in the high-dose group (5 μM). Low-dose AZD6738 (0.1 μM) inhibited the phosphorylation of CHK1 and reduce fibrotic response but did not promote apoptosis of HConFs. Further molecular research indicated that AZD6738 regulates survival and apoptosis of HConFs by balancing the CHK1/P53 and PI3K/AKT pathways, and inhibiting TGF-β1-induced fibrotic response including myofibroblast activation and relative extracellular matrix (ECM) protein synthesis such as fibronectin (FN), collagen Ⅰ (COL1) and collagen Ⅳ (COL4) through a dual pharmacological mechanism. Hence, our results show that AZD6738 inhibits fibrotic responses in cultured HConFs in vitro and may become a potential therapeutic option for anti-subconjunctival scarring after trabeculectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longxiang Huang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qin Ye
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chunlin Lan
- Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yihua Zhu, ; Xiaohui Wang,
| | - Yihua Zhu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yihua Zhu, ; Xiaohui Wang,
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