Growth Of Solid Tumor Cells Research Articles

The anticancer effect of PASylated calreticulin-targeting L-ASNase in solid tumor bearing mice with immunogenic cell death-inducing chemotherapy

L-Asparaginase (L-ASNase), a bacterial enzyme that degrades asparagine, has been commonly used in combination with several chemical drugs to treat malignant hematopoietic cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In contrast, the enzyme was known to inhibit the growth of solid tumor cells in vitro, but not to be effective in vivo. We previously reported that two novel monobodies (CRT3 and CRT4) bound specifically with calreticulin (CRT) exposed on tumor cells and tissues during immunogenic cell death (ICD). Here, we engineered L-ASNases conjugated with monobodies at the N-termini and PAS200 tags at the C-termini (CRT3LP and CRT4LP). These proteins were expected to possess four monobody and PAS200 tag moieties, which did not disrupt the L-ASNase conformation. These proteins were expressed 3.8-fold more highly in E. coli than those without PASylation. The purified proteins were highly soluble, with much greater apparent molecular weights than expected ones. Their affinity (Kd) against CRT was about 2 nM, 4-fold higher than that of monobodies. Their enzyme activity (∼6.5 IU/nmol) was similar to that of L-ASNase (∼7.2 IU/nmol), and their thermal stability was significantly increased at 55 °C. Their half-life times were > 9 h in mouse sera, about 5-fold longer than that of L-ASNase (∼1.8 h). Moreover, CRT3LP and CRT4LP bound specifically with CRT exposed on tumor cells in vitro, and additively suppressed the tumor growth in CT-26 and MC-38 tumor-bearing mice treated with ICD-inducing drugs (doxorubicin and mitoxantrone) but not with a non-ICD-inducing drug (gemcitabine). All data indicated that PASylated CRT-targeted L-ASNases enhanced the anticancer efficacy of ICD-inducing chemotherapy. Taken together, L-ASNase would be a potential anticancer drug for treating solid tumors.

Growth retardation and apoptotic death of tumor cells by Artemisia herba-alba oral administration in Ehrlich solid carcinoma bearing mice

At present, there is a rapidly growing interest in studying the cytotoxic effects of Artemisia herba alba Asso, Asteraceae, in various cancer cell lines. However, its antitumor effectiveness has not been investigated. Therefore, the current study was conducted to study the effect of A. herba alba extract on the proliferation and growth of solid tumor cells in Ehrlich Solid Carcinoma bearing mice. Oral administration of A. herba alba extract resulted in significant reductions in tumor size, tumor weight and mice body weight, as well as caused concurrent significant increases in the DNA breakages and apoptotic DNA damage induction in a time-dependent manner. A. herba alba extract also raised the expression level of p53 gene and reduced of K-ras expression in a time-dependent manner. Minor histological lesions were observed in the liver and kidney tissues sections of mice administered A. herba alba extract compared with the high histological lesions observed in the liver and kidney tissues of artesunate and cisplatin treated groups. Thus, we concluded that A. herba alba extract exhibited promising potential antitumor efficacy with greater safety than artesunate and the commercially used anticancer drug cisplatin in mice.

New pyrazolyl-dibenzo[b,e][1,4]diazepinones: room temperature one-pot synthesis and biological evaluation.

Several new (5-aryloxy-pyrazolyl)- and (5-aryl/olefin-sulfanyl-pyrazolyl)-dibenzo[b,e] [1,4] diazepinone scaffolds have been synthesized, by assembling 5-substituted 3-methyl-1-phenyl-pyrazole-4-carbaldehydes of varied nature with different cyclic diketones and aromatic diamines successfully in the presence of indium chloride in acetonitrile, at room temperature. Desired products are excellent in the purity and isolated without chromatography. All new structures are confirmed, on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of representative 29e. Compounds reported in the present work revealed good antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities with promising FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), bacterial resistance and human solid tumor cell growth inhibitory values, respectively. Compounds 25c and 29e, overall, registered good to moderate activity against A549 (lung), HeLa (cervix), SW1573 (lung) T-47D (breast) and WiDr (colon) cell lines, with GI50 values in the 2.6-5.1μM and 1.8-7.5μM ranges, respectively. Molecular docking was carried out to elucidate the binding modes of the compounds (25c, 29e) to topoisomerase I and II.

Cotylenin A and arsenic trioxide cooperatively suppress cell proliferation and cell invasion activity in human breast cancer cells.

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is an approved treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). It has also shown potential for treatment of multiple myeloma and various solid tumors including breast cancer. The requirement of high, toxic concentrations for the induction of apoptosis in non-APL and solid tumor cells is a major limitation for its use in other hematological malignancies and solid tumors. We have examined whether inducers of differentiation of leukemia cells can control the growth of solid tumor cells. In the present study, we found that cotylenin A, a plant growth regulator and a potent inducer of differentiation in myeloid leukemia cells, significantly potentiated both ATO-induced inhibition of cell growth in a liquid culture, and ATO-induced inhibition of anchorage-independent growth in a semi-solid culture in human breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. ISIR-005 (a synthetic cotylenin A-derivative) was also able to enhance ATO-induced growth inhibition. The combined treatment with cotylenin A and ATO induced cleaved caspase-7 in MCF-7 cells at the concentrations which ATO alone scarcely induced and cotylenin A alone only weakly induced. Expression of survivin in MCF-7 cells was markedly decreased with the presence of both cotylenin A and ATO, although the expression of survivin was only slightly decreased by cotylenin A or ATO alone. The pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine significantly reduced the combination treatment-induced cell growth inhibition. These data suggest that induction of cleaved caspase-7, inhibition of survivin and oxidative responses are important events in the corporative inhibition in the growth of MCF-7 cells induced by both cotylenin A and ATO. Furthermore, we found that the combined treatment with cotylenin A and ATO also could be effective in suppressing the invasive capacity of MDA-MB-231 cells determined with the impedance-based xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analysis technology. These results suggest that cotylenin A is an attractive enhancer for the ATO-induced anticancer activities in human breast cancer.

Abstract 4475: New water-soluble and stable N-mustard-benzeneconjugates with potent antitumor activity, BO-2094, generated via leadoptimization by bioisostere approach.

Abstract The water solubility of drug candidate plays an important determinant of the bioavailability and supports whether a drug candidate can be successfully developed for clinical application. Previously, we have synthesized a series of water-soluble N-mustards, in which the phenyl N-mustard pharmacophore is linked to a benzamide moiety containing a hydrophilic side-chain at the meta- or para-position of the carboxamide function via a urea spacer. Of these derivatives, the water-soluble BO-1055 HCl exhibits a broad spectrum of antitumor activity and potent therapeutic efficacy against various human solid tumor (such as breast MX-1, colon HCT-116, and prostate PC-3) xenografts. To optimize the antitumor activity of BO-1055 via structural modification by bioisostere approach, we synthesized a series of new N-mustard-benzene conjugates, in which the phenyl N-mustard pharmacophore is linked to a benzene moiety via a urea linker, which can reduce the reactivity of the reactive N-mustard moiety. The benzene ring contains a variety of ω-N,N-dialkylaminoalkylamide or ω-cyclicaminoalkylamide side-chains at the meta- or para-position of the ureido linker. The tertiary amino function on the side-chain can be converted into a variety of water-soluble salts with inorganic or organic acids. The newly synthesized conjugates were subject to antitumor studies both in vitro and in tumor xenograft model. The results showed that these water-soluble conjugates exhibit a broad spectrum of antitumor activity against a panel of human leukemia and solid tumor cell growth in culture. Among these derivatives, BO-2094 [N-(4-(3-(4-(bis(2-chloroethyl)amino)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)-2-(diethylamino)acetamide], was revealed to be more cytotoxic than BO-1055 in inhibiting various tumor cell growth in vitro. It also showed that this agent is more potent than BO-1055 against human colon HCT-116, prostate PC3, and lung cancer H460 xenografts in mice. Studies on the mechanism of action revealed that BO-2094 is able to induce DNA cross-linking and cell arrest at G2/M phase. The present investigations conclude that BO-2094, a new water-soluble N-mustard-benzene conjugated with more potent therapeutic effect than BO-1055, has high potential to be selected as a candidate for preclinical antitumor studies. Citation Format: Tsann-Long Su, Satishkumar Tala, Tai-Hsin Ou, Kiranben Tala, Rajesh Kakadiya, Yi-wen Lin, Chi-Wei Chen, Te-Chang Lee. New water-soluble and stable N-mustard-benzeneconjugates with potent antitumor activity, BO-2094, generated via leadoptimization by bioisostere approach. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4475. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4475

Abstract 1765: Potent antitumor BO-1922, derivative of indolizino[6,7-b]indole, against human colon, lung, and pancreatic cancers in xenograft model

Abstract Our previously studies demonstrated that bis(hydroxymethyl)cyclopenta[a]indenes, which bear a bis(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidine pharmacophore, exhibited potent antitumor activity in inhibiting various human tumor xenografts. We also demonstrated that these agents showed strong synergistic therapeutic efficacy in combination with arsenic trioxide (ATO) against acquire or inherited MDR human tumors in xenograft model (human lung H460 or bladder cancer resistant to cisplatin NTUB1/P). Based on these findings, we have recently synthesized a series of 1,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)indolizino[6,7-b]indols and their bis(alkylcarbomate) derivatives for antitumor evaluation. These new agents were easily prepared starting from L-tryptophane in 5 steps. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that the newly synthesized derivatives possessed a broad spectrum of anticancer activity against human lymphoblastic leukemia and various solid tumor cell growth in vitro. Of these analogues, 1,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-3,6-dimethylindolizino[6,7-b]indole (BO-1922) was selected for further antitumor studies. We found that this agent displayed potent therapeutic efficacy against human colon cancer HT-29, lung adenocarcinoma lung A549, and primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma BX-PC3 xenografts. The antitumor activity of BO-1922 was compared with Irinotecan (CPT-11) in animal xenograft model. It revealed that BO-1922 is more potent than CPT-11 against human colon cancer HT-29 xenograft; complete tumor suppression on day 20 after mice treated with BO-1922 (25 mg/kg, QD×4, intravenous injection), while, tumor relapsed on day 9 after mice treated with CPT-11 (60 mg/kg, Q2D×3, iv. inj.). Under the same drug administration conditions (dosage and schedule), BO-1922 is as potent as CPT-11 against lung cancer A549 and pancreatic cancer BX-PC3 xenografts. Although the bodyweight of all drug treated mice recovered after ceasing of treatment, it was found that BO-1922 is less toxic to the host based on the average body-weight loss. The alkaline agarose gel shifting assay showed that this agent is able to induce DNA double strand cross-linking. Flow cytomeric assay revealed that BO-1922 induced cell cycle arrest at G1/S phase in non-small cell lung carcinomas H1299. These results suggest that BO-1922 is a promising candidate for clinical application and is currently undergoing preclinical studies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1765. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1765

Synthesis and antitumor evaluation of novel Benzo[d]pyrrolo[2,1-b]thiazole derivatives

A series of novel 2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)benzo[d]pyrrolo[2,1-b]thiazoles and their bis(alkylcarbamate) derivatives were synthesized starting from benzothiazole via reaction with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD)/tetra-fluoro boric acid, catalytic hydrogenation, and alkylcarbamoylation. The anti-proliferative activity of these agents against human leukemia and various solid tumor cell growth in vitro was studied. The structure–activity relationship studies revealed that the bis(alkylcarbamates) derivatives are generally more cytotoxic than the corresponding bis(hydroxymethyl) congeners in inhibiting human lymphoblastic leukemia CCRF-CEM and various human solid tumor cell growth in culture. These agents have no cross-resistance to taxol or vinblastine. Studies on the therapeutic effect against human breast carcinoma MX-1 xenograft showed that complete tumor remission (CR) were achieved by treating with C1-4′-F- or C1-4′-Cl-Ph-bis(i-propylcarbamates) derivatives (19b and 19c, respectively) and more than 99% tumor suppression by the corresponding bis(ethylcarbamates) 18b and 18c at the maximal tolerated dose. Alkaline agarose gel shifting assay revealed that the newly synthesized compounds are able to induce DNA interstrand cross-linking. The present studies generated a series of new potent DNA interstrand cross-linking agents, which have potential for further antitumor drug development.

Effects of 4-amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl Retinate on Differentiation of Human Digestive System Tumor Cells in vitro

Objective To study the effect of 4-amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl retinate(ATPR) on the proliferation and differentiation of human gastric cancer cells SGC-7901,human liver cancer cells Bel-7402 and human colon carcinoma cells HT-29.Methods Solid tumor cells were cultured in vitro and treated with ATPR of different concentration.The proliferation was detected with MTT test.ALP,LDH and γ-GT were measured by spectrophotometer for enzyme activity,AFP and CEA were measured by ELISA.The cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry.Results The growth of solid tumor cells treated with ATPR was inhibited in a does-dependent manner.ALP and LDH activity of SGC-7901 suppressant.AFP,LDH and γ-GT of Bel-7402 decreased while the expression of CEA of HT-29 increased.G0/G1-phase cells significantly increased while S-phase cells decreased with the elevation of ATPR concentration.Cell cycle progression was blocked in the G1 phase.Conclusion ATPR could induce differentiation of solid tumor cells.

Antiproliferative and Antiangiogenic Activities of Smenospongine, a Marine Sponge Sesquiterpene Aminoquinone

We previously reported that smenospongine, a sesquiterpene aminoquinone isolated from the marine sponge Dactylospongia elegans, showed antiproliferative or cytotoxic activities on leukemia cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of smenospongine on solid tumors. Since angiogenesis is well known to be closely involved in growth and metastasis of solid tumors, the antiangiogenic effect of smenospongine was determined. We found that smenospongine inhibited proliferation, migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Moreover, the inhibitory activity of smenospongine on growth of solid tumor cells was investigated. Smenospongine inhibited the growth of 39 human solid cancer cells in vitro, with a mean Log GI50 value of −5.55. In conclusion, smenospongine exhibits antitumor activity on solid tumors via two mechanisms, an antiangiogenic effect on endothelial cells and direct inhibition of growth of tumor cells.

The overexpression of multidrug resistance-associated proteins and gankyrin contribute to arsenic trioxide resistance in liver and gastric cancer cells

Arsenic trioxide has been used as a therapeutic agent for acute promyelocytic leukemia and recently for some solid tumors. Although arsenic trioxide has been shown to significantly inhibit the growth of solid tumor cells in vitro, clinical trials indicate that arsenic trioxide alone is pool active against non-hematologic malignant diseases. To understand the mechanisms of arsenic resistance in solid tumor cells, we established two arsenic-resistant solid tumor cell lines, HepG2/AS and SGC7901/AS, isolated from human liver cancer cell line HepG2 and human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901, respectively, by a series of stepwise selections via treatment with increasing concentrations of arsenic trioxide. Three ABC transporter proteins, ABCB1, ABCC1 and ABCC2, were expressed increasingly and differently in two arsenic-resistant cell lines. Further, tumor suppressor p53 was overexpressed in two arsenic-resistant cell lines, but the levels of p53 mediators MDM2 and gankyrin, which regulate the ubiquitination of p53, increased simultaneously. In addition, an increase in the phosphorylation of Rb at Ser795 in the two cell lines might also result from the presence of MDM2 and gankyrin, which suggest that the inactivation of p53 and Rb contribute to drug resistance. These two arsenic-resistant solid tumor cell lines, HepG2/AS and SGC7901/AS, may be useful for studying the mechanism of arsenic resistance in solid tumors and may provide a way to overcome it.

RBTI induces apoptosis in human solid tumor cell lines by loss in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and caspase activation

The molecular mechanisms and the possible effects of a recombinant buckwheat trypsin inhibitor (rBTI) on the induction of apoptosis in the human solid tumor cells (EC9706, HepG2 and HeLa) were investigated. An MTT assay showed that rBTI could specifically inhibit the growth of solid tumor cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Analysis by flow cytometry indicated that the apoptosis of several tumor cells increased after treatment with rBTI in range of 6.25-50microg/ml. DNA electrophoresis analysis showed the 'DNA ladder', typical of apoptosis. rBTI-induced apoptosis was shown to involve Bax and Bak up-regulation, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl down-regulation, release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol, activation of caspase-3 and -9 and disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Deltapsi(m)). The z-DEVD-fmk caspase-3 inhibitor significantly inhibited rBTI-induced apoptosis. We concluded that rBTI can induce the apoptosis in several types of human solid tumor cells and promotes apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Diazoxide-Mediated Growth Inhibition in Human Lung Cancer Cells via Downregulation of β-Catenin-Mediated Cyclin D1 Transcription

Treatment of various types of cells with the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K(+) channel opener, diazoxide, preconditions cells to subsequent injuries and inhibits apoptosis. However, the role and mechanism(s) of diazoxide in solid tumor cell growth are largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that diazoxide inhibited the proliferation of lung cancer cells as well as the transcription of cell cycle-related protein Cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 overexpression inhibited the negative role of diazoxide in cell cycle progression. We further explored the mechanisms by which diazoxide affected Cyclin D1 transcription and found that the beta-catenin transcription factor was downregulated by diazoxide, with a corresponding decrease in Cyclin D1 promoter activity. Taken together, these results suggest that diazoxide inhibits lung cancer cell proliferation via downregulation of Cyclin D1 transcription, which may have important therapeutic implications in lung cancer patients.

Low-Dose Radiation Does Not Induce Proliferation in Tumor CellsIn VitroandIn Vivo

We have demonstrated that exposure of mice to low-dose radiation (75 mGy) stimulated bone marrow cell proliferation and peripheral mobilization (Li et al., Exp. Hematol. 32, 1088-1096, 2004). It is unclear whether such stimulating effects induced by low-dose radiation can also occur in tumor cells. In the present study, cells of two leukemia cell lines and five solid tumor cell lines together with four normal human cell lines were used to determine whether exposure to low-dose radiation (25 to 200 mGy X rays) can cause a stimulating effect on cell proliferation. A stimulating effect was found in the normal cell lines but not in the two leukemia and five solid tumor cell lines in response to low-dose radiation exposure in vitro. Examination of cell cycling changes and cell death for these cells by flow cytometry at different times after low-dose irradiation did not identify any changes attributable to the distinct effects of low-dose radiation on cell proliferation between tumor and normal cells. To provide further evidence for the absence of low-dose radiation-induced stimulating effects in tumor cells in vivo, cells of two solid tumor cell lines were implanted in nude mice. Exposure of tumor cells in vitro before implantation in nude mice or of tumor-bearing mice to low-dose radiation (75 mGy X rays) did not stimulate tumor growth compared to the tumor-bearing mice without low-dose radiation exposure. These results suggest that low-dose radiation stimulates growth of normal cells but not of leukemia and solid tumor cells in vitro and also does not stimulate growth of solid tumor cells in vivo.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Phorboxazole Congeners Leading to the Discovery and Preparative-Scale Synthesis of (+)-Chlorophorboxazole A Possessing Picomolar Human Solid Tumor Cell Growth Inhibitory Activity

Highly convergent syntheses of eight phorboxazole congeners and their evaluation against a diverse panel of human solid tumor cancer cell lines have been achieved. Specifically, the C(45-46) alkyne, alkene, and alkane phorboxazole A analogues [(+)-4-(+)-6] were constructed and found to display single digit nanomolar cell growth inhibitory activities in a series of human cancer cell lines. The structurally simplified C(11-15)-acetal congener (+)-20Z also proved potent albeit reduced (cf. 34.6 nM) when evaluated against the same cell line panel. Importantly, (+)-C(46)-chlorophorboxazole A (3) displayed picomolar (pM) inhibitory activity in several cell lines.

Mechanism of HIF‐1α‐dependent suppression of hypoxia‐induced apoptosis in squamous cell carcinoma cells

The transcriptional factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) plays an important role in solid tumor cell growth and survival. Overexpression of HIF-1alpha has been demonstrated in many human tumors and predicts a poor response to chemoradiotherapy. We examined the HIF-1alpha-induced survival pathways in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell (OSCC) lines. The results showed that forced expression of HIF-1alpha suppressed hypoxia-induced apoptosis of OSCC lines by inhibiting cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Overexpression of HIF-1alpha inhibited the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential, and cytosolic accumulation of cytochrome c, which resulted in the inactivation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. In addition, antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) levels were increased and pro-apoptotic Bax and Bak levels were decreased in the HIF-1alpha-overexpressing OSCC line. Overexpression of HIF-1alpha also increased the levels of phosphorylation of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK). These findings indicate that HIF-1alpha prevents apoptotic cell death through two mechanisms, including inhibition of cytochrome c release and activation of Akt and ERK.

JS-K, a Novel Nitric Oxide (NO) Generator, Shows Potent Anti-Angiogenic Activity.

NO induces differentiation and apoptosis in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) cells. Glutathione S-Transferases (GST) play an important role in multidrug resistance and are upregulated in 90% of AML cells. We have designed a novel prodrug class that releases NO on metabolism by GST. O2-(2,4-Dinitrophenyl) 1-[(4-ethoxycarbonyl)piperazin-1-yl]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (JS-K, a member of this class) has potent antileukemic activity in vitro and in vivo (Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2 :409-417, 2003). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of JS-K on angiogenesis. The anti-angiogenic properties of JS-K were tested in 3 different in vitro assays: proliferation, cord formation (reflecting new vessel formation) and migration using Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC). JS-K inhibited the proliferation of HUVEC's with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.432, 0.466, and 0.505 μM at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. At concentrations of 1 μM or above, HUVEC proliferation was totally inhibited. In the cord formation assay, treatment with JS-K lad to a decrease in both the number of cord junctions and cord length with an IC50 of 0.637 and 0.696 μM, respectively. At a concentration of 1 μM, JS-K inhibited cord formation completely. JS-K inhibited cell migration at 5 hours using 10 ng/mL VEGF as a chemoattractant. At that time point, migration inhibition occurred at JS-K concentrations that did not affect cell growth with an IC50 of 0.493 μM. We conclude that JS-K is a potent inhibitor of 3 important elements of angiogenesis, namely endothelial cell proliferation, cord formation, and endothelial cell migration. These experiments identify a new mechanism by which JS-K and similar compounds may inhibit leukemia and solid tumor cell growth in vivo. Determining whether the anti-angiogenic effects of JS-K are NO-dependent will require further studies. (NO1-CO-12400).

Defibrotide (DF) Targets Tumor-Microenvironmental Interactions and Sensitizes Multiple Myeloma and Solid Tumor Cells to Cytotoxic Chemotherapeutics.

Introduction: Defibrotide (DF) is a polydisperse oligonucleotide with anti-thrombotic, thrombolytic, anti-ischemic, and anti-adhesive properties, which selectively targets the microvasculature and has minimal hemorrhagic risk. DF is an effective treatment for veno-occlusive disease (VOD), an important regimen-related toxicity in stem cell transplantation characterized by endothelial cell injury. DF also augments stem cell mobilization by modulating adhesion in vivo. Because of its cytoprotective effect on the endothelium, we specifically investigated whether DF protects tumor cells from cytotoxic anti-tumor agents. Further, because of its broad anti-adhesive properties, we evaluated whether DF modulates the interaction of MM cells with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), which confers growth, survival and drug resistance in the BM milieu.Methods:In vitro studies in isogenic dexamethasone (Dex)-sensitive and resistant MM cell lines (MM-1S and MM1R, respectively) showed that DF does not attenuate the sensitivity of MM cells to Dex, the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS-341), melphalan (MEL), vinca alkaloids (vincristine, vinblastine), taxanes (paclitaxel) or platinum (cisplatin), but does decrease their sensitivity to doxorubicin. These selective effects in vitro of DF in protecting tumor cells against doxorubicin and modestly sensitizing MM cells to platinum was also confirmed in solid tumor breast (MCF-7) and colon (HT-29) carcinoma cell lines. Although DF had minimal in vitro inhibitory effect on MM or solid tumor cell growth in vitro, it showed in vivo activity as a single agent and enhanced the responsiveness of MM tumors to cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, such as MEL or cyclophosphamide, in human MM xenografts in SCID/NOD mice. The in vivo single-agent activity and chemosensitizing properties of DF, coupled with its lack of major in vitro activity, suggested that DF may not directly target tumor cells, but rather modulate tumor cell interaction with BMSCs. In an ex vivo model of co-culture of primary MM tumor cells with BMSCs (which protects MM cells against conventional chemotherapy), DF alone had a only modest effect on tumor cell viability, but it significantly enhanced MM cell sensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapy (e.g. MEL), suggesting that a major component of the biological effects of DF may be attributable not to direct targeting of tumor cells, but to modulation of the interactions that tumor cells develop with the local stromal milieu.Conclusion: Our studies show that DF mediates in vivo anti-MM activity by abrogating interactions of MM cells with their BM milieu, thereby enhancing sensitivity and overcoming resistance to conventional chemotherapy. These data support future clinical trials of DF, in combination with both conventional and novel therapies, to improve patient outcome in MM.

Monensin-mediated growth inhibition of SNU-C1 colon cancer cells via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis

Previously, we showed that monensin, Na+ ionophore, potently inhibited the growth of acute myelogenous leukemia and lymphoma cells. Here, we demonstrate that monensin inhibited the proliferation of solid tumor cells with IC50 of about 2.5 micro M. Monensin induced a G1 or a G2-M phase arrest in these cells. When we examined the effects of this drug on SNU-C1 cells, monensin decreased the levels of CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1 and cyclin A proteins. While p27 was increased by monensin, p21 was not. In addition, monensin markedly enhanced the binding of p27 with CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6. Furthermore, the activities of CDK2-, CDK4- and CDK6-associated kinase were reduced in association with hypophosphorylation of Rb protein. Monensin also induced apoptosis in solid tumor cells. Apoptotic process of SNU-C1 cells was associated with the changes of Bax, caspase-3 and mitochondria transmembrane potential (deltapsim). Taken together, these results demonstrated for the first time that monensin inhibited the growth of solid tumor cells, especially SNU-C1 cells, via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Interferon-alpha and -gamma inhibit the growth and neoplastic potential of v-src-transformed human epithelial cells by reducing Src tyrosine kinase activity.

To investigate whether interferons (IFNs) selectively suppress the growth of solid tumor cells with elevated protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity, we evaluated the effect of recombinant IFN-alpha2a and IFN-gamma on the proliferative and neoplastic potentials triggered by p60v-src using v-src-transformed HAG-1 human epithelial cells. When compared with control cells harboring the pSV2neo gene, the monolayer growth of v-src-transformed cell lines was inhibited by both recombinant IFNs, in a dose-dependent manner, whereas growth of ras-transfected cell lines was not affected. Moreover, IFNs markedly reduced the clonogenic growth of v-src-transformed cells in soft-agar rather than monolayer growth, suggesting the preferential activity of IFNs on anchorage-independent growth. Pretreatment of cells with Src or the Src-like PTK inhibitor herbimycin A or radicicol, alleviated dose-dependently the growth-inhibitory activity of IFN-alpha2a against v-src-transformed cells, suggesting that IFNs may share a common inhibitory pathway with Src PTK inhibitors. Accordingly, like herbimycin A, IFNs were found to reduce tyrosine phosphorylation of p60v-src and suppressed in vitro p60v-src kinase activity in v-src-transformed cells. Our data, together with the fact that IFNs inhibit the growth potential driven by Src but not by activated Ras, suggest that inhibition of signal transduction pathway through Src to downstream transduction events may be a primary mechanism of IFN-induced anti-prolifeative and anti-tumoral activity.

Growth of solid tumor cells in clonogenic assays: A prognostic factor?

Clonogenic assays can be used to study several characteristics of hemopoietic and solid tumor cells. Treatment of ovarian cancer patients, anticancer drug development and studies of tumor cell biology (self-renewal and cytogenetics) seem to be facilitated by these techniques, in spite of their limitations. This paper reviews data showing that good in vitro clonal growth might be a poor prognostic factor. These results are remarkable but only few patients have been studied and detailed analyses looking at other prognostic factors are lacking. However, studies of in vitro growth characteristics of hemopoietic malignancies have shown similar results. Further follow-up should substantiate these initial findings in solid tumors.