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Simińska D, Kojder K, Jeżewski D, Tarnowski M, Tomasiak P, Piotrowska K, Kolasa A, Patrycja K, Chlubek D, Baranowska-Bosiacka I. Estrogen α and β Receptor Expression in the Various Regions of Resected Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumors and in an In Vitro Model. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4130. [PMID: 38612938 PMCID: PMC11012502 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25074130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a malignant tumor with a higher prevalence in men and a higher survival rate in transmenopausal women. It exhibits distinct areas influenced by changing environmental conditions. This study examines how these areas differ in the levels of estrogen receptors (ERs) which play an important role in the development and progression of many cancers, and whose expression levels are often correlated with patient survival. This study utilized two research models: an in vitro model employing the U87 cell line and a second model involving tumors resected from patients (including tumor core, enhancing tumor region, and peritumoral area). ER expression was assessed at both gene and protein levels, with the results validated using confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Under hypoxic conditions, the U87 line displayed a decrease in ERβ mRNA expression and an increase in ERα mRNA expression. In patient samples, ERβ mRNA expression was lower in the tumor core compared to the enhancing tumor region (only in males when the study group was divided by sex). In addition, ERβ protein expression was lower in the tumor core than in the peritumoral area (only in women when the study group was divided by sex). Immunohistochemical analysis indicated the highest ERβ protein expression in the enhancing tumor area, followed by the peritumoral area, and the lowest in the tumor core. The findings suggest that ER expression may significantly influence the development of GBM, exhibiting variability under the influence of conditions present in different tumor areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donata Simińska
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland; (D.S.); (K.P.); (I.B.-B.)
| | - Klaudyna Kojder
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Unii Lubelskiej 1, 71-252 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Dariusz Jeżewski
- Department of Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Unii Lubelskiej 1, 71-252 Szczecin, Poland;
- Department of Applied Neurocognitivistics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Unii Lubelskiej 1, 71-252 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Maciej Tarnowski
- Department of Physiology in Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Żołnierska 54, 70-210 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Patrycja Tomasiak
- Institute of Physical Culture Sciences, University of Szczecin, 70-453 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Katarzyna Piotrowska
- Department of Physiology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Agnieszka Kolasa
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Kapczuk Patrycja
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland; (D.S.); (K.P.); (I.B.-B.)
| | - Dariusz Chlubek
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland; (D.S.); (K.P.); (I.B.-B.)
| | - Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland; (D.S.); (K.P.); (I.B.-B.)
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Zalcman N, Larush L, Ovadia H, Charbit H, Magdassi S, Lavon I. Intracranial Assessment of Androgen Receptor Antagonists in Mice Bearing Human Glioblastoma Implants. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:332. [PMID: 38203506 PMCID: PMC10779261 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The median survival time of patients with an aggressive brain tumor, glioblastoma, is still poor due to ineffective treatment. The discovery of androgen receptor (AR) expression in 56% of cases offers a potential breakthrough. AR antagonists, including bicalutamide and enzalutamide, induce dose-dependent cell death in glioblastoma and glioblastoma-initiating cell lines (GIC). Oral enzalutamide at 20 mg/kg reduces subcutaneous human glioblastoma xenografts by 72% (p = 0.0027). We aimed to further investigate the efficacy of AR antagonists in intracranial models of human glioblastoma. In U87MG intracranial models, nude mice administered Xtandi (enzalutamide) at 20 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg demonstrated a significant improvement in survival compared to the control group (p = 0.24 and p < 0.001, respectively), confirming a dose-response relationship. Additionally, we developed a newly reformulated version of bicalutamide, named "soluble bicalutamide (Bic-sol)", with a remarkable 1000-fold increase in solubility. This reformulation significantly enhanced bicalutamide levels within brain tissue, reaching 176% of the control formulation's area under the curve. In the U87MG intracranial model, both 2 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg of Bic-sol exhibited significant efficacy compared to the vehicle-treated group (p = 0.0177 and p = 0.00364, respectively). Furthermore, combination therapy with 8 mg/kg Bic-sol and Temozolomide (TMZ) demonstrated superior efficacy compared to either Bic-sol or TMZ as monotherapies (p = 0.00706 and p = 0.0184, respectively). In the ZH-161 GIC mouse model, the group treated with 8 mg/kg Bic-sol as monotherapy had a significantly longer lifespan than the groups treated with TMZ or the vehicle (p < 0.001). Our study demonstrated the efficacy of androgen receptor antagonists in extending the lifespan of mice with intracranial human glioblastoma, suggesting a promising approach to enhance patient outcomes in the fight against this challenging disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nomi Zalcman
- Leslie and Michael Gaffin Center for Neuro-Oncology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (N.Z.)
- Agnes Ginges Center for Human Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel;
| | - Liraz Larush
- Casali Center, Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (L.L.); (S.M.)
| | - Haim Ovadia
- Agnes Ginges Center for Human Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel;
| | - Hanna Charbit
- Leslie and Michael Gaffin Center for Neuro-Oncology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (N.Z.)
- Agnes Ginges Center for Human Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel;
| | - Shlomo Magdassi
- Casali Center, Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (L.L.); (S.M.)
| | - Iris Lavon
- Leslie and Michael Gaffin Center for Neuro-Oncology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (N.Z.)
- Agnes Ginges Center for Human Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel;
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Gan X, Liu Y, Wang X. Targeting androgen receptor in glioblastoma. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2023; 191:104142. [PMID: 37742885 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2023.104142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastomas are primary brain tumors that originate from glial stem cells or progenitor cells. There is a large difference in the incidence of glioblastoma between males and females. Studies revealed that the gender differences in the tumor may be attributable to the androgen receptor signaling axis. The incidence rate of glioblastoma in men is higher than that in women. Aberrant activation of the androgen receptor signaling pathway, or interactions between the androgen receptor signaling axis and other signaling axes promote the development of glioblastoma. Therefore, targeting the androgen receptor holds promise as a therapeutic approach for glioblastoma. This review investigates the dynamics of drug research into the treatment of glioblastoma by targeting the androgen receptor. The first finding in line with expectations is that androgen receptor antagonists, represented by enzalutamide, have been studied and shown to have anti-glioblastoma effects. In addition, it was found that the combination of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and androgen receptor antagonists resulted in better therapeutic outcomes than each of them alone. Similar results were obtained with the combination of an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor and an androgen receptor antagonist. In addition, four small molecule compounds have been shown to exert significant anti-glioblastoma effects by directly or indirectly targeting the androgen receptor. Expectantly, one of these small molecules, seviteronel, progressed to the phase II clinical trial stage. These findings suggest that targeting the androgen receptor for glioblastoma may be a promising therapeutic option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Gan
- Guangxi Zhuang Yao Medicine Center of Engineering and Technology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China; Guangxi key laboratory of marine drugs, Institute of marine drugs, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China
| | - Yonghong Liu
- Guangxi key laboratory of marine drugs, Institute of marine drugs, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China.
| | - Xueni Wang
- Guangxi Zhuang Yao Medicine Center of Engineering and Technology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China; Guangxi key laboratory of marine drugs, Institute of marine drugs, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China.
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Dewdney B, Jenkins MR, Best SA, Freytag S, Prasad K, Holst J, Endersby R, Johns TG. From signalling pathways to targeted therapies: unravelling glioblastoma's secrets and harnessing two decades of progress. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:400. [PMID: 37857607 PMCID: PMC10587102 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01637-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma, a rare, and highly lethal form of brain cancer, poses significant challenges in terms of therapeutic resistance, and poor survival rates for both adult and paediatric patients alike. Despite advancements in brain cancer research driven by a technological revolution, translating our understanding of glioblastoma pathogenesis into improved clinical outcomes remains a critical unmet need. This review emphasises the intricate role of receptor tyrosine kinase signalling pathways, epigenetic mechanisms, and metabolic functions in glioblastoma tumourigenesis and therapeutic resistance. We also discuss the extensive efforts over the past two decades that have explored targeted therapies against these pathways. Emerging therapeutic approaches, such as antibody-toxin conjugates or CAR T cell therapies, offer potential by specifically targeting proteins on the glioblastoma cell surface. Combination strategies incorporating protein-targeted therapy and immune-based therapies demonstrate great promise for future clinical research. Moreover, gaining insights into the role of cell-of-origin in glioblastoma treatment response holds the potential to advance precision medicine approaches. Addressing these challenges is crucial to improving outcomes for glioblastoma patients and moving towards more effective precision therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Dewdney
- Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia.
- Centre For Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Misty R Jenkins
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
| | - Sarah A Best
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
| | - Saskia Freytag
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
| | - Krishneel Prasad
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
| | - Jeff Holst
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Raelene Endersby
- Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Centre For Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Terrance G Johns
- Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Centre For Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
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