scholarly journals Trifluoperazine, an Antipsychotic Drug, Effectively Reduces Drug Resistance in Cisplatin-Resistant Urothelial Carcinoma Cells via Suppressing Bcl-xL: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan-Lin Kuo ◽  
Shing-Hwa Liu ◽  
Wei-Chou Lin ◽  
Fu-Shun Hsu ◽  
Po-Ming Chow ◽  
...  

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the primary treatment for metastatic bladder urothelial carcinoma (UC). Most patients inevitably encounter drug resistance and resultant disease relapse. Reduced apoptosis plays a critical role in chemoresistance. Trifluoperazine (TFP), an antipsychotic agent, has demonstrated antitumor effects on various cancers. This study investigated the efficacy of TFP in inhibiting cisplatin-resistant bladder UC and explored the underlying mechanism. Our results revealed that cisplatin-resistant UC cells (T24/R) upregulated the antiapoptotic factor, B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL). Knockdown of Bcl-xL by siRNA resensitized cisplatin-resistant cells to the cisplatin cytotoxic effect. TFP (10–45 μM) alone elicited dose-dependent cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and G0/G1 arrest on T24/R cells. Co-treatment of TFP potentiated cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in T24/R cells. The phenomenon that TFP alleviated cisplatin resistance to T24/R was accompanied with concurrent suppression of Bcl-xL. In vivo models confirmed that TFP alone effectively suppressed the T24/R xenograft in nude mice. TFP co-treatment enhanced the antitumor effect of cisplatin on the T24/R xenograft. Our results demonstrated that TFP effectively inhibited cisplatin-resistant UCs and circumvented cisplatin resistance with concurrent Bcl-xL downregulation. These findings provide a promising insight to develop a therapeutic strategy for chemoresistant UCs.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Frost ◽  
Eileen Berlanger ◽  
Veena Mysore ◽  
Bao Hoang ◽  
YiJiang Shi ◽  
...  

We found that rapalog mTOR inhibitors induce G1 arrest in the PTEN-null HS Sultan B-cell lymphoma linein vitro, but that administration of rapalogs in a HS Sultan xenograft model resulted in significant apoptosis, and that this correlated with induction of hypoxia and inhibition of neoangiogenesis and VEGF expression. Mechanistically, rapalogs prevent cap-dependent translation, but studies have shown that cap-independent, internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-mediated translation of genes, such as c-myc and cyclin D, can provide a fail-safe mechanism that regulates tumor survival. Therefore, we tested if IRES-dependent expression of VEGF could likewise regulate sensitivity of tumor cellsin vivo. To achieve this, we developed isogenic HS Sultan cell lines that ectopically express the VEGF ORF fused to the p27 IRES, an IRES sequence that is insensitive to AKT-mediated inhibition of IRES activity and effective in PTEN-null tumors. Mice challenged with p27-VEGF transfected tumor cells were more resistant to the antiangiogenic and apoptotic effects of the rapalog, temsirolimus, and active site mTOR inhibitor, pp242. Our results confirm the critical role of VEGF expression in tumors during treatment with mTOR inhibitors and underscore the importance of IRES activity as a resistance mechanism to such targeted therapy.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 1501-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron N. Nguyen ◽  
Mamatha Reddy ◽  
Margaret Henson ◽  
Elizabeth G. Stebbins ◽  
Gilbert O’Young ◽  
...  

Abstract Despite recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), this disease remains incurable. Accumulating evidence suggest that the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment of MM plays a critical role in tumor growth, survival, and drug resistance. A key aspect of this tumor-supportive environment is elevated levels of cytokines and other soluble factors. Most prominent among these is IL-6, which acts as a survival factor for MM cells and promotes their proliferation, migration, and drug resistance. Other mediators also implicated in the disease are VEGF and TNFa. The p38 MAPK is activated by a multitude of signals, including pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNFa and IL-1ß) and environmental stress. Furthermore, p38 activation has been shown to be important for the synthesis and secretion of IL-6, VEGF, and TNFa. Consequently, inhibition of p38 is postulated to reduce the production of these factors implicated in MM and to have therapeutic benefit by suppressing the tumor-supportive state of the BM microenvironment. Here, we demonstrate that SCIO-469, a specific and potent inhibitor of p38a MAPK, strongly inhibits MM cell proliferation by affecting MM cells directly as well as the BM microenvironment. SCIO-469 directly inhibits MM cell proliferation in long term culture. Importantly, SCIO-469 potently inhibits IL-6 and VEGF secretion from BM stromal cells (BMSC). To examine the effect of inhibiting BMSC-derived factors important in MM, we measured MM cell proliferation using transwell plates that separate BMSC from MM cells via a porous membrane. In transwell plates containing only MM cells, MM cell proliferation was modest and was inhibited by SCIO-469. In contrast, the presence of BMSC in transwell inserts dramatically increased the proliferation of MM cells over the course of the study. This result suggests that factors (e.g., IL-6) secreted by BMSC greatly stimulate MM cell proliferation. When SCIO-469 was added to these transwell cultures containing BMSC, MM cell proliferation was inhibited significantly. Consistent with these results, we show that levels of IL-6 under these conditions mirror exactly the proliferation of MM cells; IL-6 level is high in vehicle-treated cultures and is suppressed in SCIO-469-treated cultures. Finally, in a mouse xenograft plasmacytoma model of MM, we show that p38 inhibition significantly inhibited the increase in MM tumor volume. Collectively, our data indicate that SCIO-469 is a suppressor of the BM microenvironment and an effective inhibitor of MM cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Since SCIO-469 also inhibits secretion of osteoclast-stimulating factors (RANKL, IL-11, and MIP1a) in the microenvironment, SCIO-469 may not only inhibit MM cell survival but may also alleviate bone-related pathologies (bone destruction and osteolytic lesions) commonly associated with MM. Therefore, SCIO-469 may offer great promise for an improved outcome for patients with MM.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Peng ◽  
Shaolu Zhang ◽  
Wenhui Jiao ◽  
Zhenxing Zhong ◽  
Yuqi Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The critical role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activation in tumor cell biology has prompted massive efforts to develop PI3K inhibitors (PI3Kis) for cancer therapy. However, recent results from clinical trials have shown only a modest therapeutic efficacy of single-agent PI3Kis in solid tumors. Targeting autophagy has controversial context-dependent effects in cancer treatment. As a FDA-approved lysosomotropic agent, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been well tested as an autophagy inhibitor in preclinical models. Here, we elucidated the novel mechanism of HCQ alone or in combination with PI3Ki BKM120 in the treatment of cancer.Methods: The antitumor effects of HCQ and BKM120 on three different types of tumor cells were assessed by in vitro PrestoBlue assay, colony formation assay and in vivo zebrafish and nude mouse xenograft models. The involved molecular mechanisms were investigated by MDC staining, LC3 puncta formation assay, immunofluorescent assay, flow cytometric analysis of apoptosis and ROS, qRT-PCR, Western blot, comet assay, homologous recombination (HR) assay and immunohistochemical staining. Results: HCQ significantly sensitized cancer cells to BKM120 in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, the sensitization mediated by HCQ could not be phenocopied by treatment with other autophagy inhibitors (Spautin-1, 3-MA and bafilomycin A1) or knockdown of the essential autophagy genes Atg5/Atg7, suggesting that the sensitizing effect might be mediated independent of autophagy status. Mechanistically, HCQ induced ROS production and activated the transcription factor NRF2. In contrast, BKM120 prevented the elimination of ROS by inactivation of NRF2, leading to accumulation of DNA damage. In addition, HCQ activated ATM to enhance HR repair, a high-fidelity repair for DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in cells, while BKM120 inhibited HR repair by blocking the phosphorylation of ATM and the expression of BRCA1/2 and Rad51. Conclusions: Our study revealed that HCQ and BKM120 synergistically increased DSBs in tumor cells and therefore augmented apoptosis, resulting in enhanced antitumor efficacy. Our findings provide a new insight into how HCQ exhibits antitumor efficacy and synergizes with PI3Ki BKM120, and warn that one should consider the “off target” effects of HCQ when used as autophagy inhibitor in the clinical treatment of cancer.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (24) ◽  
pp. 5256-5267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Happo ◽  
Mark S. Cragg ◽  
Belinda Phipson ◽  
Jon M. Haga ◽  
Elisa S. Jansen ◽  
...  

Abstract DNA-damaging chemotherapy is the backbone of cancer treatment, although it is not clear how such treatments kill tumor cells. In nontransformed lymphoid cells, the combined loss of 2 proapoptotic p53 target genes, Puma and Noxa, induces as much resistance to DNA damage as loss of p53 itself. In Eμ-Myc lymphomas, however, lack of both Puma and Noxa resulted in no greater drug resistance than lack of Puma alone. A third B-cell lymphoma-2 homology domain (BH)3-only gene, Bim, although not a direct p53 target, was up-regulated in Eμ-Myc lymphomas incurring DNA damage, and knockdown of Bim levels markedly increased the drug resistance of Eμ-Myc/Puma−/−Noxa−/− lymphomas both in vitro and in vivo. Remarkably, c-MYC–driven lymphoma cell lines from Noxa−/−Puma−/−Bim−/− mice were as resistant as those lacking p53. Thus, the combinatorial action of Puma, Noxa, and Bim is critical for optimal apoptotic responses of lymphoma cells to 2 commonly used DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agents, identifying Bim as an additional biomarker for treatment outcome in the clinic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tânia P. Almeida ◽  
Alice A. Ramos ◽  
Joana Ferreira ◽  
Amaya Azqueta ◽  
Eduardo Rocha

: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) represents 15-20% of all new cases of leukemia and is characterized by an uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal myeloid cells. Currently, the first-line of treatment involves Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs), which specifically inhibits the activity of the fusion protein BCR-ABL. However, resistance, mainly due to mutations, can occur. In the attempt to find more effective and less toxic therapies, several approaches are taken into consideration such as research of new anti-leukemic drugs and “combination chemotherapy” where different drugs that act by different mechanisms are used. Here, we reviewed the molecular mechanisms of CML, the main mechanisms of drug resistance and current strategies to enhance the therapeutic effect of TKIs in CML. Despite major advances in CML treatment, new, more potent anticancer drugs and with fewer side effects are needed. Marine organisms, and particularly seaweed, have a high diversity of bioactive compounds with some of them having anticancer activity in several in vitro and in vivo models. The state-of-art suggests that their use during cancer treatment may improve the outcome. We reviewed here the yet few data supporting anti-leukemic activity of some carotenoids and phlorotannins in some leukemia models. Also, strategies to overcome drug resistance are discussed, particularly the combination of conventional drugs with natural compounds.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 3004-3004
Author(s):  
Yulian Xu ◽  
Lei Jiang ◽  
Rachel R. Fang ◽  
Jeff Xiwu Zhou ◽  
Herbert Morse

Abstract IRF8 is a transcription factor with a critical role in B lymphocyte development and biological functions. Although it has been reported that IRF8 is highly expressed in human diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and the translocation of IRF8-IgH loci occurs in DLBCL, little information is available regarding the function and mechanisms for the role of IRF8 in DLBCL. In this study, by using several human DLBCL cell lines with shRNA-mediated decrease in IRF8 expression levels, we found that the loss of IRF8 significantly reduced the proliferation of lymphoma cells (Figure 1). Mechanistically, decreasing the levels of IRF8 led to a decrease in p38 and ERK phosphorylation (Figure 2), molecular events critical for B cell proliferation. Furthermore, using a xenograft lymphoma mice model, we found that the loss of IRF8 significantly inhibited the growth of lymphomas in vivo (n=5 for each group) (Figure 3). Analysis of public available data also suggested that the expression levels of IRF8 mRNA in human DLBCL tissues were inversely correlated patientsÕ overall survival time. Taken together, this study showed that IRF8 may play an oncogenic role in human DLBCL by promoting cell proliferation. Figure 1. Loss of IRF8 decreased the proliferation of DLBCL cells in vitro. Figure 1. Loss of IRF8 decreased the proliferation of DLBCL cells in vitro. Figure 2. Loss of IRF8 decreased the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK in DLBCL cells. Figure 2. Loss of IRF8 decreased the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK in DLBCL cells. Figure 3. Loss of IRF8 decreased the growth of DLBCL in vivo. Figure 3. Loss of IRF8 decreased the growth of DLBCL in vivo. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 111 (11) ◽  
pp. 5350-5358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Paoluzzi ◽  
Mithat Gonen ◽  
Jeffrey R. Gardner ◽  
Jill Mastrella ◽  
Dajun Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Overexpression of antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family are observed in approximately 80% of B-cell lymphomas, contributing to intrinsic and acquired drug resistance. Nullifying antiapoptotic function can potentially overcome this in-trinsic and acquired drug resistance. AT-101 is a BH3 mimetic known to be a potent inhibitor of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members including Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Mcl-1. In vitro, AT-101 exhibits concentration- and time-dependent cytotoxicity against lymphoma and multiple myeloma cell lines, enhancing the activity of cytotoxic agents. The IC50 for AT-101 is between 1 and 10 μM for a diverse panel of B-cell lymphomas. AT-101 was synergistic with carfilzomib (C), etoposide (E), doxorubicin (D), and 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) lines. In a transformed large B-cell lymphoma line (RL), AT-101 was synergistic when sequentially combined with 4-HC, but not when both drugs were added simultaneously. AT-101 also induced potent mitochondrial membrane depolarization (ΔΨm) and apoptosis when combined with carfilzomib, but not with bortezomib in MCL. In severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) beige mouse models of drug-resistant B-cell lymphoma, 35 mg/kg per day of AT-101 was safe and efficacious. The addition of AT-101 to cyclophosphamide (Cy) and rituximab (R) in a schedule-dependent manner enhanced the efficacy of the conventional therapy.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 1468-1478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdel Kareem Azab ◽  
Phong Quang ◽  
Feda Azab ◽  
Costas Pitsillides ◽  
Brian Thompson ◽  
...  

Abstract Interactions between multiple myeloma (MM) cells and the BM microenvironment play a critical role in the pathogenesis of MM and in the development of drug resistance by MM cells. Selectins are involved in extravasation and homing of leukocytes to target organs. In the present study, we focused on adhesion dynamics that involve P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) on MM cells and its interaction with selectins in the BM microenvironment. We show that PSGL-1 is highly expressed on MM cells and regulates the adhesion and homing of MM cells to cells in the BM microenvironment in vitro and in vivo. This interaction involves both endothelial cells and BM stromal cells. Using loss-of-function studies and the small-molecule pan-selectin inhibitor GMI-1070, we show that PSGL-1 regulates the activation of integrins and downstream signaling. We also document that this interaction regulates MM-cell proliferation in coculture with BM microenvironmental cells and the development of drug resistance. Furthermore, inhibiting this interaction with GMI-1070 enhances the sensitization of MM cells to bortezomib in vitro and in vivo. These data highlight the critical contribution of PSGL-1 to the regulation of growth, dissemination, and drug resistance in MM in the context of the BM microenvironment.


Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 5612-5612
Author(s):  
Li Can ◽  
Kalyan Nadiminti ◽  
Yuqi Zhu ◽  
Yogesh Jethava ◽  
Ivana Frech ◽  
...  

Abstract Background; Major progress in the treatment of B cell tumors has been made in the past decades. Nevertheless, relapses and refractoriness to currently available chemotherapy and even to high dose therapy with stem cell transplantation still cause significant mortality. NEK2, NEver in Mitosis Gene A (NIMA)-Related Kinase 2, is a serine/threonine kinase. High expression of NEK2 increases cell survival and drug resistance, resulting in poor clinical outcome in multiple cancers including multiple myeloma and lymphoma. In this study, we used genetic mouse models to evaluate whether NEK2 is a druggable target in the treatment of B cell tumors including myeloma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Materials and Methods: We have generated Nek2 knockout mice and crossed these with Eµ-Myc mice. RNA-sequencing was performed to determine signaling pathways related to Nek2 inhibition. Both NEK2 and USP7 (a protein interacting with NEK2) inhibitors were applied to treat myeloma and DLBCL in vitro and in vivo. Results: Mouse studies showed that Nek2 played a critical role in B cell tumor development and progression. Specifically, in genetic Eμ-MYC transgenic mice, which spontaneously develop DLBCL and Burkitt lymphoma, knockout of Nek2 prevented B cell tumor development and significantly extended mouse survival. Further, immunohistochemistry analyses showed that Nek2 was highly detected in biopsies from aggressive Burkitt lymphoma patients. Our data also indicate that both NEK2 and USP7 inhibitors significantly inhibited myeloma cell and lymphoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo models and without apparent toxicity to normal tissues. Intriguingly, the combination of USP7 inhibitor P5091 with doxorubicin blocked B cell lymphoma development and extended lymphoma mouse survival. Conclusions: Our studies demonstrate the importance of Nek2 function in tumorigenesis and progression in B cell lineage malignancies. Both NEK2 and USP7 inhibitors showed excellent efficacy in the treatment of myeloma and B-cell lymphoma. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1501
Author(s):  
Sarah Brendle ◽  
Nancy Cladel ◽  
Karla Balogh ◽  
Samina Alam ◽  
Neil Christensen ◽  
...  

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 capsids have been chosen as a DNA delivery vehicle in many studies. Our preliminary studies suggest that HPV58 capsids could be better vehicles than HPV16 capsids to deliver encapsidated DNA in vitro and in vivo. In the current study, we compared HPV16, HPV58, and the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) capsids either as L1/L2 VLPs or pseudoviruses (PSVs) to deliver externally attached GFP-expressing DNA. Both rabbit and human cells were used to test whether there was a species-specific effect. DNA delivery efficiency was determined by quantifying either GFP-expressing cell populations or mean fluorescent intensities (MFI) by flow cytometry. Interestingly, CRPV and 58-VLPs and PSVs were significantly more efficient at delivering attached DNA when compared to 16-VLPs and PSVs. A capsid/DNA ratio of 2:1 showed the highest efficiency for delivering external DNA. The PSVs with papillomavirus DNA genomes also showed higher efficiency than those with irrelevant plasmid DNA. HPV16L1/58L2 hybrid VLPs displayed increased efficiency compared to HPV58L1/16L2 VLPs, suggesting that L2 may play a critical role in the delivery of attached DNA. Additionally, we demonstrated that VLPs increased in vivo infectivity of CRPV DNA in rabbits. We conclude that choosing CRPV or 58 capsids to deliver external DNA could improve DNA uptake in in vitro and in vivo models.


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