Ghrelin prevents cisplatin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia and cachexia

Targeting aurora kinase with MK-0457 inhibits ovarian cancer growth

PURPOSE

The Aurora kinase family plays pivotal roles in mitotic integrity and cell cycle. We sought to determine the effects of inhibiting Aurora kinase on ovarian cancer growth in an orthotopic mouse model using a small molecule pan-Aurora kinase inhibitor, MK-0457.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We examined cell cycle regulatory effects and ascertained the therapeutic efficacy of Aurora kinase inhibition both alone and combined with docetaxel using both in vitro and in vivo ovarian cancer models.

RESULTS

In vitro cytotoxicity assays with HeyA8 and SKOV3ip1 cells revealed >10-fold greater docetaxel cytotoxicity in combination with MK-0457. After in vivo dose kinetics were determined using phospho-histone H3 status, therapy experiments with the chemosensitive HeyA8 and SKOV3ip1 as well as the chemoresistant HeyA8-MDR and A2780-CP20 models showed that Aurora kinase inhibition alone significantly reduced tumor burden compared with controls (P values<0.01). Combination treatment with docetaxel resulted in significantly improved reduction in tumor growth beyond that afforded by docetaxel alone (P

CONCLUSIONS

Aurora kinase inhibition significantly reduces tumor burden and cell proliferation and increases tumor cell apoptosis in this preclinical orthotopic model of ovarian cancer. The role of Aurora kinase inhibition in ovarian cancer merits further investigation in clinical trials.

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MESH Headings

• Animals
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
• Apoptosis/drug effects
• Aurora Kinases
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation/drug effects
• Cell Survival/drug effects
• Docetaxel
• Enzyme Inhibitors/therapeutic use
• Female
• Humans
• Mice
• Ovarian Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Piperazines/therapeutic use
• Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors
• Taxoids/administration & dosage
• Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

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Grants

• CA109298 NCI NIH HHS
• R01 CA109298 NCI NIH HHS
• CA41424 NCI NIH HHS
• R01 CA110793 NCI NIH HHS
• CA110793 NCI NIH HHS
• P50 CA083639 NCI NIH HHS
• R01 CA041424 NCI NIH HHS
• T32-CA101642 NCI NIH HHS
• P50CA083639 NCI NIH HHS

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Affiliation(s)

Yvonne G. Lin Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Anand Immaneni Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston,Texas
William M. Merritt Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Lingegowda S. Mangala Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
SeungWook Kim Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Mian M.K. Shahzad Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston,Texas
Yvonne T.M. Tsang Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Guillermo N. Armaiz-Pena Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Program in Cancer Biology, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston,Texas
Chunhua Lu Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Aparna A. Kamat Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Liz Y. Han Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
WhitneyA. Spannuth Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Alpa M. Nick Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Charles N. Landen Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Kwong K. Wong Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Michael J. Gray Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Robert L. Coleman Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Diane C. Bodurka Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
William R. Brinkley Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston,Texas
Anil K. Sood Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

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Peripheral ghrelin treatment stabilizes body weights of senescent male Brown Norway rats at baseline and after surgery

Unintentional weight loss may occur spontaneously in older humans and animals. Further weight losses after surgery or illness in the older patients result in increased morbidity, mortality, and hospital readmission rate. A growing body of work has shown increased appetite and weight gain in response to administration of ghrelin, the “hunger hormone.” We conducted two studies in senescent male Brown Norway rats to assess the ability of peripheral administration of ghrelin to increase body weight and food intake. One study assessed the effect of 2 wk of daily subcutaneous ghrelin administration (1 mg·kg−1·day−1) to senescent rats in a baseline condition; a second study used the same administration protocol in an interventional experiment with aged rats subjected to a surgery with 10–15% blood loss as a model of elective surgery. In both studies, animals receiving ghrelin maintained their body weights, whereas control animals lost weight. Body weight stability was achieved in ghrelin-treated animals despite a lack of increase in daily or cumulative food intake in both experiments. Hormone and proinflammatory cytokine levels were measured before surgery and after 14 days of treatment. Ghrelin treatment appeared to blunt declining ghrelin levels and also to blunt cytokine increases seen in the surgical control group. The ability of peripheral ghrelin treatment to maintain body weights of senescent rats without concomitant increases in food intake may be due to its known ability to decrease sympathetic activity and metabolic rate, perhaps by limiting cytokine-driven inflammation.