DOMESTIC ANTITUMOR COMPOUND 2-[3-(2-CHLOROETHYL)-3-NITROSOUREIDO]-1,3- PROPANEDIOL (CHLONISOL). ACUTE TOXICITY

2-[3-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-nitrosoureido]-1,3-propanediol (Сhlonisol) is a representative of a separate group of derivatives of the class of nitrosoalkylureas – alkylnitrosoureidopropanediols, which are characterized by high antitumor activity on a wide range of experimental tumors. Chlonisol LD50 in male mice for intravenous administration was 35 mg/kg, intraperitoneal – 39 mg/kg, in female mice – 34 mg/kg and 36 mg/kg, respectively. In rats of males with intraperitoneal administration, LD50 was 30 mg/kg, in rats of females – 32 mg/kg. The maximum tolerated dose in mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits was 20 mg/kg. The tolerated dose for dogs was a dose of 2 mg/kg. Myelo-depression was a dose-limiting side effect. Lethal and sublethal doses of Chlonisol caused aplasia of the bone marrow and lymphoid organs, damage to the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, and dystrophic changes in the myocardium, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and reproductive organs. In the late stages after intraperitoneal administration of sublethal doses of Chlonisol, chylothorax and chyloperitoneum were found in some rats.

VEGFC negatively regulates the growth and aggressiveness of medulloblastoma cells

Medulloblastoma (MB), the most common brain pediatric tumor, is a pathology composed of four molecular subgroups. Despite a multimodal treatment, 30% of the patients eventually relapse, with the fatal appearance of metastases within 5 years. The major actors of metastatic dissemination are the lymphatic vessel growth factor, VEGFC, and its receptors/co-receptors. Here, we show that VEGFC is inversely correlated to cell aggressiveness. Indeed, VEGFC decreases MB cell proliferation and migration, and their ability to form pseudo-vessel in vitro. Irradiation resistant-cells, which present high levels of VEGFC, lose the ability to migrate and to form vessel-like structures. Thus, irradiation reduces MB cell aggressiveness via a VEGFC-dependent process. Cells intrinsically or ectopically overexpressing VEGFC and irradiation-resistant cells form smaller experimental tumors in nude mice. Opposite to the common dogma, our results give strong arguments in favor of VEGFC as a negative regulator of MB growth.

“The anti-angiogenic compound axitinib demonstrates low toxicity and anti-tumoral effects against medulloblastoma”

ABSTRACTEvolution of medulloblastoma (MB) treatments has increased the 5-year overall survival of to more than 70%. However, an increasing number of survivors face severe long-term adverse effects and associated morbidity due to multimodal treatments particularly harsh for the younger patients. Chemotherapeutic compounds inducing less adverse effects are key to improving the care of MB patients. The preclinical relevance of last generation anti-angiogenic compounds deserves to be fully assessed. Among these, axitinib showed the highest selectivity index for MB cells, efficiently reduced the growth rate of experimental tumors and led to less toxicity towards normal cells than did a reference treatment. In vivo, axitinib did not lead to acute toxicity in very young rats and was able to cross the blood brain barrier. Analysis of public databases shows that high expression of axitinib targets are of poor prognosis. Altogether, our results suggest that axitinib is a compelling candidate for MB treatment.