Design of BET Inhibitor Prodrugs with Superior Efficacy and Devoid of Systemic Toxicities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrukh Vohidov ◽  
Jannik N. Andersen ◽  
Kyriakos D. Economides ◽  
Michail V. Shipitsin ◽  
Olga Burenkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Therapeutic Index ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Bet Inhibitor ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Pharmaceutical Ingredients ◽  
Tumor Pharmacokinetics ◽  
Predictive Design

<div><p>Prodrugs engineered for preferential activation in diseased versus normal tissues offer immense potential to improve the therapeutic index of preclinical and clinical-stage active pharmaceutical ingredients that either cannot be developed otherwise or whose efficacy or tolerability it is highly desirable to improve. Such approaches, however, often suffer from trial-and-error design, precluding predictive design and optimization. Here, using BET bromodomain inhibitors (BETi)—a class of epigenetic regulators with proven anti-cancer activity but clinical development hindered by systemic adverse effects–– we introduce a platform that overcomes these challenges. Through tuning of traceless linkers appended to a “brush prodrug” scaffold, we demonstrate that it is possible to correlate <i>in vitro </i>prodrug activation kinetics with <i>in vivo </i>tumor pharmacokinetics, leading to novel BETi prodrugs with enhanced anti-tumor efficacy and devoid of dose-limiting toxicities. This work has immediate clinical implications, introducing principles for the predictive design of prodrugs and potentially overcoming hurdles in drug development. </p></div>

Design of BET Inhibitor Prodrugs with Superior Efficacy and Devoid of Systemic Toxicities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrukh Vohidov ◽  
Jannik N. Andersen ◽  
Kyriakos D. Economides ◽  
Michail V. Shipitsin ◽  
Olga Burenkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Therapeutic Index ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Bet Inhibitor ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Pharmaceutical Ingredients ◽  
Tumor Pharmacokinetics ◽  
Predictive Design

<div><p>Prodrugs engineered for preferential activation in diseased versus normal tissues offer immense potential to improve the therapeutic index of preclinical and clinical-stage active pharmaceutical ingredients that either cannot be developed otherwise or whose efficacy or tolerability it is highly desirable to improve. Such approaches, however, often suffer from trial-and-error design, precluding predictive design and optimization. Here, using BET bromodomain inhibitors (BETi)—a class of epigenetic regulators with proven anti-cancer activity but clinical development hindered by systemic adverse effects–– we introduce a platform that overcomes these challenges. Through tuning of traceless linkers appended to a “brush prodrug” scaffold, we demonstrate that it is possible to correlate <i>in vitro </i>prodrug activation kinetics with <i>in vivo </i>tumor pharmacokinetics, leading to novel BETi prodrugs with enhanced anti-tumor efficacy and devoid of dose-limiting toxicities. This work has immediate clinical implications, introducing principles for the predictive design of prodrugs and potentially overcoming hurdles in drug development. </p></div>

Novel tetravalent bispecific T-cell engaging antibodies for cancer immunotherapy.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e12513-e12513
Author(s):  
Sribalaji Lakshmikanthan ◽  
Timothy Wyant ◽  
Swarna Pandian ◽  
Shaun Murphy ◽  
Yangde Chen
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Antigens ◽  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Therapeutic Index ◽  
Single Chain ◽  
Cell Surface Antigens ◽  
Therapeutic Implications

e12513 Background: Current immunotherapy involves redirection of T cells against tumor either by chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T) or bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs). These T cell-engaging technologies have been enabled by engineering single-chain variable fragment (scFv). Most BiTEs are designed as heterodimers, with monovalent binding to tumor cell surface antigens and to CD3+ T cells. Here, we describe a novel tetravalent bispecific (TetraBi) platform: a tumor associated antigen specific, T-cell engaging antibody that provides significant advantages over traditional BiTEs. Specifically, we showcase three unique TetraBi antibodies targeted for various cancers. Methods: ABP-100 was engineered by fusing CD3-binding scFv to the c-terminus of anti-HER2 IgG1 light chain, resulting in two binding sites each for HER2 and CD3. In preclinical studies, ABP-100 was compared with a clinical-stage heterodimeric antibody that is monovalent for HER2 and CD3. We also built TetraBi for anti-Glypican 3 (GPC3, ABP-110) and Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2, ABP-150) for gastric cancer therapy. Results: We observed bivalent binding to the tumor antigens (HER2, GPC3, CLDN18.2) on tumor cells like the monoclonal antibodies do. Interestingly, the CD3-binding domains in our TetraBi format showed functionally monovalent binding to CD3. ABP-100 displayed comparable cytokine release to the heterodimer molecule both in vitro and in vivo. In HER2+ cancer models, ABP-100 showed highly potent antitumor activity, resulting in complete responses in tumor bearing mice at doses as low as 0.1 mg/kg with no evidence of tumor relapse. ABP110 and ABP-150 also demonstrated potent cancer cell killing in vitro. Conclusions: This novel TetraBi antibody format enables concurrent bivalent and monovalent co-engagement of distinct target antigens in tumor microenvironment with promising therapeutic implications. Furthermore, it provides a potentially larger therapeutic index than more traditional bispecific formats that feature monovalent recognition of tumor antigens.

scholarly journals Garcinol Exhibits Anti-Neoplastic Effects by Targeting Diverse Oncogenic Factors in Tumor Cells

Biomedicines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaishali Aggarwal ◽  
Hardeep Singh Tuli ◽  
Jagjit Kaur ◽  
Diwakar Aggarwal ◽  
Gaurav Parashar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Therapeutic Index ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Garcinia Indica ◽  
Anti Cancer

Garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone, is the medicinal component obtained from fruits and leaves of Garcinia indica (G. indica) and has traditionally been extensively used for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, it has been also been experimentally illustrated to elicit anti-cancer properties. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have illustrated the potential therapeutic efficiency of garcinol in management of different malignancies. It mainly acts as an inhibitor of cellular processes via regulation of transcription factors NF-κB and JAK/STAT3 in tumor cells and have been demonstrated to effectively inhibit growth of malignant cell population. Numerous studies have highlighted the anti-neoplastic potential of garcinol in different oncological transformations including colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, etc. However, use of garcinol is still in its pre-clinical stage and this is mainly attributed to the limitations of conclusive evaluation of pharmacological parameters. This necessitates evaluation of garcinol pharmacokinetics to precisely identify an appropriate dose and route of administration, tolerability, and potency under physiological conditions along with characterization of a therapeutic index. Hence, the research is presently ongoing in the dimension of exploring the precise metabolic mechanism of garcinol. Despite various lacunae, garcinol has presented with promising anti-cancer effects. Hence, this review is motivated by the constantly emerging and promising positive anti-cancerous effects of garcinol. This review is the first effort to summarize the mechanism of action of garcinol in modulation of anti-cancer effect via regulation of different cellular processes.

scholarly journals Activation of MAT2A-RIP1 signaling axis reprograms monocytes in gastric cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e001364
Author(s):  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Hui Yang ◽  
Jun Zhao ◽  
Ping Wan ◽  
Ye Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Cell Metabolism ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Methionine Metabolism ◽  
Promoter Regions ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Methionine Cycle

BackgroundThe activation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) facilitates the progression of gastric cancer (GC). Cell metabolism reprogramming has been shown to play a vital role in the polarization of TAMs. However, the role of methionine metabolism in function of TAMs remains to be explored.MethodsMonocytes/macrophages were isolated from peripheral blood, tumor tissues or normal tissues from healthy donors or patients with GC. The role of methionine metabolism in the activation of TAMs was evaluated with both in vivo analyses and in vitro experiments. Pharmacological inhibition of the methionine cycle and modulation of key metabolic genes was employed, where molecular and biological analyses were performed.ResultsTAMs have increased methionine cycle activity that are mainly attributed to elevated methionine adenosyltransferase II alpha (MAT2A) levels. MAT2A modulates the activation and maintenance of the phenotype of TAMs and mediates the upregulation of RIP1 by increasing the histone H3K4 methylation (H3K4me3) at its promoter regions.ConclusionsOur data cast light on a novel mechanism by which methionine metabolism regulates the anti-inflammatory functions of monocytes in GC. MAT2A might be a potential therapeutic target for cancer cells as well as TAMs in GC.

scholarly journals LINC00958 promotes the proliferation of TSCC via miR-211-5p/CENPK axis and activating the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Jia ◽  
Junfeng Dao ◽  
Jiusong Han ◽  
Zhijie Huang ◽  
Xiang Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Xenograft Model ◽  
Tumor Xenograft ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Cell Cycle Regulators ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Stat3 Signaling ◽  
Long Intergenic Noncoding Rna

Abstract Background Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is one of the most common oral tumors. Recently, long intergenic noncoding RNA 00958 (LINC00958) has been identified as an oncogene in human cancers. Nevertheless, the role of LINC00958 and its downstream mechanisms in TSCC is still unknown. Methods The effect of LINC00958 on TSCC cells proliferation and growth were assessed by CCK-8, colony formation, 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridline (EdU) assay and flow cytometry assays in vitro and tumor xenograft model in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict the target of LINC00958 in TSCC, which was verified by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. Results LINC00958 was increased in TSCC tissues, and patients with high LINC00958 expression had a shorter overall survival. LINC00958 knockdown significantly decreased the growth rate of TSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. In mechanism, LINC00958 acted as a ceRNA by competitively sponging miR-211-5p. In addition, we identified CENPK as a direct target gene of miR-211-5p, which was higher in TSCC tissues than that in adjacent normal tissues. Up-regulated miR-211-5p or down-regulated CENPK could abolish LINC00958-induced proliferation promotion in TSCC cells. Furthermore, The overexpression of CENPK promoted the expression of oncogenic cell cycle regulators and activated the JAK/STAT3 signaling. Conclusions Our findings suggested that LINC00958 is a potential prognostic biomarker in TSCC.

scholarly journals The BET Inhibitor JQ1 Augments the Antitumor Efficacy of Gemcitabine in Preclinical Models of Pancreatic Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3470
Author(s):  
Aubrey L. Miller ◽  
Patrick L. Garcia ◽  
Samuel C. Fehling ◽  
Tracy L. Gamblin ◽  
Rebecca B. Vance ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Cholesterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Antitumor Efficacy ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Bet Inhibitor ◽  
Bet Inhibitors ◽  
Xenograft Models

Gemcitabine is used to treat pancreatic cancer (PC), but is not curative. We sought to determine whether gemcitabine + a BET bromodomain inhibitor was superior to gemcitabine, and identify proteins that may contribute to the efficacy of this combination. This study was based on observations that cell cycle dysregulation and DNA damage augment the efficacy of gemcitabine. BET inhibitors arrest cells in G1 and allow increases in DNA damage, likely due to inhibition of expression of DNA repair proteins Ku80 and RAD51. BET inhibitors (JQ1 or I-BET762) + gemcitabine were synergistic in vitro, in Panc1, MiaPaCa2 and Su86 PC cell lines. JQ1 + gemcitabine was more effective in vivo than either drug alone in patient-derived xenograft models (P < 0.01). Increases in the apoptosis marker cleaved caspase 3 and DNA damage marker γH2AX paralleled antitumor efficacy. Notably, RNA-seq data showed that JQ1 + gemcitabine selectively inhibited HMGCS2 and APOC1 ~6-fold, compared to controls. These proteins contribute to cholesterol biosynthesis and lipid metabolism, and their overexpression supports tumor cell proliferation. IPA data indicated that JQ1 + gemcitabine selectively inhibited the LXR/RXR activation pathway, suggesting the hypothesis that this inhibition may contribute to the observed in vivo efficacy of JQ1 + gemcitabine.

scholarly journals DPP3/CDK1 contributes to the progression of colorectal cancer through regulating cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell migration

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixin Tong ◽  
Yuan Huang ◽  
Yuchao Zhang ◽  
Xiangtai Zeng ◽  
Mei Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Cell Apoptosis ◽  
Downstream Target ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Mutual Regulation

AbstractAt present, colorectal cancer (CRC) has become a serious threat to human health in the world. Dipeptidyl peptidase 3 (DPP3) is a zinc-dependent hydrolase that may be involved in several physiological processes. However, whether DPP3 affects the development and progression of CRC remains a mystery. This study is the first to demonstrate the role of DPP3 in CRC. Firstly, the results of immunohistochemistry analysis showed the upregulation of DPP3 in CRC tissues compared with normal tissues, which is statistically analyzed to be positively correlated with lymphatic metastasis, pathological stage, positive number of lymph nodes. Moreover, the high expression of DPP3 predicts poor prognosis in CRC patients. In addition, the results of cell dysfunction experiments clarified that the downregulation of DPP3 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, cell migration, and promoted apoptosis in vitro. DPP3 depletion could induce cell apoptosis by upregulating the expression of BID, BIM, Caspase3, Caspase8, HSP60, p21, p27, p53, and SMAC. In addition, downregulation of DPP3 can reduce tumorigenicity of CRC cells in vivo. Furthermore, CDK1 is determined to be a downstream target of DPP3-mediated regulation of CRC by RNA-seq, qPCR, and WB. The interaction between DPP3 and CDK1 shows mutual regulation. Specifically, downregulation of DPP3 can accentuate the effects of CDK1 knockdown on the function of CRC cells. Overexpression of CDK1 alleviates the inhibitory effects of DPP3 knockdown in CRC cells. In summary, DPP3 has oncogene-like functions in the development and progression of CRC by targeting CDK1, which may be an effective molecular target for the prognosis and treatment of CRC.

Transmembrane p24 Trafficking Protein 2 Regulates Inflammation Through the TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway in Lung Adenocarcinoma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Longhua Feng ◽  
Pengjiang Cheng ◽  
Zhengyun Feng ◽  
Xiaoyu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Lung Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Inflammatory Factors ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
New Strategy

Abstract Background: To investigate the role of transmembrane p24 trafficking protein 2 (TMED2) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and determine whether TMED2 knockdown could inhibit LUAD in vitro and in vivo.Methods: TIMER2.0, Kaplan-Meier plotter, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), Target Gene, and pan-cancer systems were used to predict the potential function of TMED2. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were performed to analyze TMED2 expression in different tissues or cell lines. The proliferation, development, and apoptosis of LUAD were observed using a lentivirus-mediated TMED2 knockdown. Bioinformatics and western blot analysis of TMED2 against inflammation via the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway were conducted. Results: TMED2 expression in LUAD tumor tissues was higher than that in normal tissues and positively correlated with poor survival in lung cancer and negatively correlated with apoptosis in LUAD. The expression of TMED2 was higher in tumors or HCC827 cells. TMED2 knockdown inhibited LUAD development in vitro and in vivo and increased the levels of inflammatory factors via the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. TMED2 was correlated with TME, immune score, TME-associated immune cells, their target markers, and some mechanisms and pathways, as determined using the TIMER2.0, GO, and KEGG assays.Conclusions: TMED2 may regulate inflammation in LUAD through the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, and enhance the proliferation, development, and prognosis of LUAD by regulating inflammation, which provide a new strategy for treating LUAD by regulating inflammation.

scholarly journals BET bromodomain inhibitor birabresib in mantle cell lymphoma: in vivo activity and identification of novel combinations to overcome adaptive resistance

ESMO Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. e000387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Tarantelli ◽  
Elena Bernasconi ◽  
Eugenio Gaudio ◽  
Luciano Cascione ◽  
Valentina Restelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Antitumour Activity ◽  
Single Agent ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Bet Inhibitor ◽  
Mantle Cell

BackgroundThe outcome of patients affected by mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) has improved in recent years, but there is still a need for novel treatment strategies for these patients. Human cancers, including MCL, present recurrent alterations in genes that encode transcription machinery proteins and of proteins involved in regulating chromatin structure, providing the rationale to pharmacologically target epigenetic proteins. The Bromodomain and Extra Terminal domain (BET) family proteins act as transcriptional regulators of key signalling pathways including those sustaining cell viability. Birabresib (MK-8628/OTX015) has shown antitumour activity in different preclinical models and has been the first BET inhibitor to successfully undergo early clinical trials.Materials and methodsThe activity of birabresib as a single agent and in combination, as well as its mechanism of action was studied in MCL cell lines.ResultsBirabresib showed in vitro and in vivo activities, which appeared mediated via downregulation of MYC targets, cell cycle and NFKB pathway genes and were independent of direct downregulation of CCND1. Additionally, the combination of birabresib with other targeted agents (especially pomalidomide, or inhibitors of BTK, mTOR and ATR) was beneficial in MCL cell lines.ConclusionOur data provide the rationale to evaluate birabresib in patients affected by MCL.

scholarly journals CircRNA PIP5K1A promotes the progression of glioma through upregulation of TCF12/PI3K/AKT pathway by sponging miR-515-5p

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kebin Zheng ◽  
Haipeng Xie ◽  
Xiaosong Wu ◽  
Xichao Wen ◽  
Zhaomu Zeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cell Model ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Akt Pathway ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Normal Tissues

Abstract BackgroundIncreasing studies have revealed that circular RNAs (CircRNAs) make great contribution to regulating tumor progression. Therefore, we intended to explore the expression characteristics, function, and related mechanisms of a novel type of circRNA, PIP5K1A in glioma. MethodsFirstly, RT-PCR was carried out to examine CircPIP5K1A expression in glioma tissues and adjacent normal tissues, and the correlation between CircPIP5K1A level and the clinical pathological indicators of glioma was analyzed. Then, the CircPIP5K1A expression in various glioma cell lines was detected, and a cell model of CircPIP5K1A overexpression and knockdown was constructed. Subsequently, cell proliferation and viability were detected by CCK8 method and BrdU staining, apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, and cell invasion was examined by Transwell assay. The expression of TCF12, PI3K/AKT pathway apoptotic related proteins (including Caspase3, Bax and Bcl2) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers (including E-cadherin, Vimentin and N-cadherin) by western blot or RT-PCR. ResultsThe results manifested that CircPIP5K1A was obviously upregulated in glioma tissues (compared with that in normal adjacent tissues), and overexpressed CircPIP5K1A was distinctly related to glioma volume and histopathological grade. Functionally, overexpressing CircPIP5K1A notably elevated the proliferation, invasion, EMT of glioma cells, and inhibited apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Besides, CircPIP5K1A also upregulated TCF12 and PI3K/AKT pathway activation. Bioinformatics analysis testified that miR-515-5p was a common target of CircPIP5K1A and TCF12, while dual luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunocoprecipitation (RIP) experiment further confirmed that CircPIP5K1A targeted miR-515-5p, which bound the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of TCF12. ConclusionsAltogether, the study illustrated that CircPIP5K1A is a potential prognostic marker in glioma and regulates the development of glioma through the modulating miR-515-5p mediated TCF12/PI3K/AKT axis.

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