Antimetastatic effect of epigenetic drugs, hydralazine and valproic acid, in Ras-transformed NIH 3T3 cells.

Abstract

IntroductionMetastasis involves the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations leading to activation of prometastatic genes and inactivation of antimetastatic genes. Among epigenetic alterations, DNA hypermethylation and histone hypoacetylation are the focus of intense translational research because their pharmacological inhibition has been shown to produce antineoplastic activity in a variety of experimental models.AimsThis study aimed to evaluate the antimetastatic effect of the DNA-methylation inhibitor, hydralazine, and the histone deacetylase inhibitor, valproic acid.MethodsNIH 3T3-Ras murine cells were treated with hydralazine and valproic acid to evaluate their effects upon cell proliferation, cell motility, chemotaxis, gelatinase activity, and gene expression. Lung metastases were developed by intravenous injection of NIH 3T3-Ras cells in BALB/c nu/nu mice and then treated with the drug combination.ResultsTreatment induced a growth-inhibitory effect on NIH 3T3-Ras cells, showed a trend toward increased gelatinase activity of MMP2 and MMP9, and inhibited chemotaxis and cell motility. The combination led to a strong antimetastatic effect in lungs of nude mice.ConclusionHydralazine and valproic acid, two repositioned drugs as epigenetic agents, exhibit antimetastatic effects in vitro and in vivo and hold potential for cancer treatment.