High-throughput assessment of Mammalian cell viability by determination of adenosine triphosphate levels

Transformative Materials to Create 3D Functional Human Tissue Models In Vitro in a Reproducible Manner

Recreating human tissues and organs in the petri dish to establish models as tools in biomedical sciences has gained momentum. These models can provide insight into mechanisms of human physiology, disease onset, and progression, and improve drug target validation, as well as the development of new medical therapeutics. Transformative materials play an important role in this evolution, as they can be programmed to direct cell behavior and fate by controlling the activity of bioactive molecules and material properties. Using nature as an inspiration, scientists are creating materials that incorporate specific biological processes observed during human organogenesis and tissue regeneration. This article presents the reader with state-of-the-art developments in the field of in vitro tissue engineering and the challenges related to the design, production, and translation of these transformative materials. Advances regarding (stem) cell sources, expansion, and differentiation, and how novel responsive materials, automated and large-scale fabrication processes, culture conditions, in situ monitoring systems, and computer simulations are required to create functional human tissue models that are relevant and efficient for drug discovery, are described. This paper illustrates how these different technologies need to converge to generate in vitro life-like human tissue models that provide a platform to answer health-based scientific questions.

1,3-diarylpyrazolones as potential anticancer agents for non-small cell lung cancer: Synthesis and antiproliferative activity evaluation

A series of pyrazolone compounds with different substitution patterns have been synthesized using microwave-assisted methods and evaluated their in vitro antiproliferative activity against human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (A549 and NCI-H522). Among the tested compounds, the pyrazolone P7 exhibited high antiproliferative activity against both A549 and NCIH522 cancer cell lines while being 10 times less cytotoxic to non-cancerous cells. Moreover, our compounds P7 and P11 exhibited higher antiproliferative activity and selectivity against A549 and NCIH522 cells compared with the clinically approved drugs Afatinib and Gefitinib. The cell cycle analysis showed that the compound P7 and P11 arrests the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase, whereas the compounds P13 and P14 involved in G2/M phase arrest. The results from antiproliferative activity screening, cell cycle analysis, and kinase profiling indicate that the suitably substituted 1,3-diarylpyrazolones exhibit high antiproliferative activity against non-small cell lung cancer cells.

A pH-sensitive liposome formulation of a peptidomimetic-Dox conjugate for targeting HER2 + cancer

Cancer treatment faces the challenge of selective delivery of the cytotoxic drug to the desired site of action to minimize undesired side effects. The liposomal formulation containing targeting ligand conjugated cytotoxic drug can be an effective approach to specifically deliver chemotherapeutic drugs to cancer cells that overexpress a particular cell surface receptor. This research focuses on the in vitro and in vivo studies of a peptidomimetic ligand attached doxorubicin for the HER2 positive lung and breast cancer cells transported by a pH-dependent liposomal formulation system for the enhancement of targeted anticancer treatment. The selected pH-sensitive liposome formulation showed effective pH-dependent delivery of peptidomimetic-doxorubicin conjugate at lower pH conditions mimicking tumor microenvironment (pH-6.5) compared to normal physiological conditions (pH 7.4), leading to the improvement of cell uptake. In vivo results revealed the site-specific delivery of the formulation and enhanced antitumor activity with reduced toxicity compared to the free doxorubicin (Free Dox). The results suggested that the targeting ligand conjugated cytotoxic drug with the pH-sensitive liposomal formulation is a promising approach to chemotherapy.

Multiparametric High-Content Assays to Measure Cell Health and Oxidative Damage as a Model for Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Drug-induced liver injury is an important cause of non-approval in drug development and the withdrawal of already approved drugs from the market. Screening human hepatic cell lines for toxicity has been used extensively to predict drug-induced liver injury in preclinical drug development. Assessing hepatic-cell health with more diverse markers will increase the value of in vitro assays and help predict the mechanism of toxicity. We describe three live cell-based assays using HepG2 cells to measure cell health parameters indicative of hepatotoxicity. The first assay measures cellular ATP levels using luciferase. The second and third assays are multiparametric high-content screens covering a panel of cell health markers including cell count, mitochondrial membrane potential and structure, nuclear morphology, vacuolar density, and reactive oxygen species and glutathione levels. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Measurement of cellular ATP content Basic Protocol 2: High-content analysis assay to assess cell count, mitochondrial membrane potential and structure, and reactive oxygen species Basic Protocol 3: High-content analysis assay to assess nuclear morphology, vacuoles, and glutathione content Support Protocol 1: Subculturing and maintaining HepG2 cells Support Protocol 2: Plating HepG2 cell line Support Protocol 3: Transferring compounds by pin tool Support Protocol 4: Generating dose-response curves.

A grafted peptidomimetic for EGFR heterodimerization inhibition: Implications in NSCLC models

Among the lung cancers, approximately 85% are histologically classified as non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) are known to play a crucial role in lung cancer. HER2 overexpression is detected by immunohistochemistry in 2.4%-38% of NSCLC samples. EGFRs have been targeted with three generations of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and drug resistance has become a major issue; HER2 dimerization with EGFR also plays a major role in the development of resistance to TKI therapy. We have designed grafted peptides to bind to the HER2 extracellular domain (ECD) and inhibit protein-protein interactions of EGFR:HER2 and HER2:HER3. A sunflower trypsin inhibitor (SFTI-1) template was used to graft a peptidomimetic compound. Among several grafted peptides, SFTI-G5 exhibited antiproliferative activity in HER2-positive NSCLC cell lines such as Calu-3 cells with an IC50 value of 0.073 μM. SFTI-G5 was shown to bind to ECD of HER2 and inhibit EGFR:HER2 and HER2:HER3 dimerization and inhibit the phosphorylation of HER2 and downstream signaling proteins. As a proof-of-concept, the in vivo activity of SFTI-G5 was evaluated in two NSCLC mouse models. SFTI-G5 was able to inhibit tumor growth in both models. Furthermore, SFTI-G5 was shown to inhibit EGFR dimerization in tissue samples obtained from in vivo models. These grafted peptides can be used as novel dual inhibitors of EGFR dimerization in NSCLC.

Lipidated Peptidomimetic Ligand-Functionalized HER2 Targeted Liposome as Nano-Carrier Designed for Doxorubicin Delivery in Cancer Therapy

The therapeutic index of chemotherapeutic agents can be improved by the use of nano-carrier-mediated chemotherapeutic delivery. Ligand-targeted drug delivery can be used to achieve selective and specific delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to cancer cells. In this study, we prepared a peptidomimetic conjugate (SA-5)-tagged doxorubicin (Dox) incorporated liposome (LP) formulation (SA-5-Dox-LP) to evaluate the targeted delivery potential of SA-5 in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) overexpressed non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and breast cancer cell lines. The liposome was prepared using thin lipid film hydration and was characterized for particle size, encapsulation efficiency, cell viability, and targeted cellular uptake. In vivo evaluation of the liposomal formulation was performed in a mice model of NSCLC. The cell viability studies revealed that targeted SA-5-Dox-LP showed better antiproliferative activity than non-targeted Dox liposomes (Dox-LP). HER2-targeted liposome delivery showed selective cellular uptake compared to non-targeted liposomes on cancer cells. In vitro drug release studies indicated that Dox was released slowly from the formulations over 24 h, and there was no difference in Dox release between Dox-LP formulation and SA-5-Dox-LP formulation. In vivo studies in an NSCLC model of mice indicated that SA-5-Dox-LP could reduce the lung tumors significantly compared to vehicle control and Dox. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the SA-5-Dox-LP liposome has the potential to increase therapeutic efficiency and targeted delivery of Dox in HER2 overexpressing cancer.

In vivo studies of a peptidomimetic that targets EGFR dimerization in NSCLC

Studies related to lung cancer have shown a link between human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) expression and poor prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). HER2 overexpression has been observed in 3-38% of NSCLC, while strong HER2 protein overexpression is found in 2.5% of NSCLC. However, HER2 dimerization is important in lung cancer, including EGFR mutated NSCLC. Since HER2 dimerization leads to cell proliferation, targeting the dimerization of HER2 will have a significant impact on cancer therapies. A peptidomimetic has been designed that can be used as a therapeutic agent for a subset of NSCLC patients overexpressing HER2 or possessing HER2 as well as EGFR mutation. A cyclic peptidomimetic (18) has been designed to inhibit protein-protein interactions of HER2 with its dimerization partners EGFR and HER3. Compound 18 exhibited antiproliferative activity in HER2-positive NSCLC cell lines at nanomolar concentrations. Western blot analysis showed that 18 inhibited phosphorylation of HER2 and Akt in vitro and in vivo. Stability studies of 18 at various temperature and pH (pH 1 and pH 7.6), and in the presence of liver microsomes indicated that 18 was stable against thermal and chemical degradation. Pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated in nude mice by administrating single doses of 4 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg of 18 via IV. The anticancer activity of 18 was evaluated using an experimental metastasis lung cancer model in mice. Compound 18 suppressed the tumor growth in mice when compared to control. A proximity ligation assay further proved that 18 inhibits HER2:HER3 and EGFR: HER2 dimerization. Overall, these results suggest that 18 can be a potential treatment for HER2-dimerization related NSCLC.

A Multi-center Study on the Reproducibility of Drug-Response Assays in Mammalian Cell Lines

Evidence that some high-impact biomedical results cannot be repeated has stimulated interest in practices that generate findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data. Multiple papers have identified specific examples of irreproducibility, but practical ways to make data more reproducible have not been widely studied. Here, five research centers in the NIH LINCS Program Consortium investigate the reproducibility of a prototypical perturbational assay: quantifying the responsiveness of cultured cells to anti-cancer drugs. Such assays are important for drug development, studying cellular networks, and patient stratification. While many experimental and computational factors impact intra- and inter-center reproducibility, the factors most difficult to identify and control are those with a strong dependency on biological context. These factors often vary in magnitude with the drug being analyzed and with growth conditions. We provide ways to identify such context-sensitive factors, thereby improving both the theory and practice of reproducible cell-based assays.

Factors that impact the reproducibility of experimental data are poorly understood. Five NIH-LINCS centers performed the same set of drug-response measurements and compared results. Technical and biological variables that impact precision and reproducibility and are also sensitive to biological context were the most problematic.

Induction of Oxidative Stress and Cell Death in Neural Cells by Silica Nanoparticles

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are produced on an industrial scale and used in various fields including health care, because silica is stable, inexpensive, and easy to handle. Despite these benefits, there is concern that exposure to SiNPs may lead to adverse effects in certain types of cells or tissues, such as hemolysis, immune responses, and developmental abnormalities in the brain and developing embryos. Although investigations on the toxicity of SiNPs against neurons are essential for medicinal use, only a few studies have assessed the direct effects of SiNPs on cells derived from the central nervous system. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of SiNPs on primary cultures of hippocampal cells, using SiNPs with diameters of 10-1500 nm. We showed that treatment with SiNPs caused oxidative stress and cell death. Furthermore, we found that these cytotoxicities were dependent on the particle size, concentration, and surface charge of SiNPs, as well as the treatment temperature. The toxicity was reduced by SiNP surface functionalization or protein coating and by pretreating cells with an antioxidant, suggesting that contact-induced oxidative stress may be partially responsible for SiNP-induced cell death. These data will be valuable for utilizing SiNPs in biomedical applications.

Peptide ligands for targeting the extracellular domain of EGFR: Comparison between linear and cyclic peptides

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common solid internal malignancy among cancers. Early detection of cancer is key to increasing the survival rate of colorectal cancer patients. Overexpression of the EGFR protein is associated with CRC. We have designed a series of peptides that are highly specific for the extracellular domain of EGFR, based on our earlier studies on linear peptides. The previously reported linear peptide LARLLT, known to bind to EGFR, was modified with the goals of increasing its stability and its specificity toward EGFR. Peptide modifications, including D-amino acid substitution, cyclization, and chain reversal, were investigated. In addition, to facilitate labeling of the peptide with a fluorescent dye, an additional lysine residue was introduced onto the linear (KLARLLT) and cyclic peptides cyclo(KLARLLT) (Cyclo.L1). The lysine residue was also converted into an azide group in both a linear and reversed cyclic peptide sequences cyclo(K(N3)larllt) (Cyclo.L1.1) to allow for subsequent "click" conjugation. The cyclic peptides showed enhanced binding to EGFR by SPR. NMR and molecular modeling studies suggest that the peptides acquire a β-turn structure in solution. In vitro stability studies in human serum show that the cyclic peptide is more stable than the linear peptide.

A peptidomimetic with a chiral switch is an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor heterodimerization

Among different types of EGFR dimers, EGFR-HER2 and HER2-HER3 are well known in different types of cancers. Targeting dimerization of EGFR will have a significant impact on cancer therapies. A symmetric peptidomimetic was designed to inhibit the protein-protein interaction of EGFR. The peptidomimetic (Cyclo(1,10)PpR (R) Anapa-FDDF-(R)-Anapa)R, compound 18) was shown to exhibit antiproliferative activity with an IC₅₀ of 194 nM in HER2-expressing breast cancer cell lines and 18 nM in lung cancer cell lines. The peptidomimetic has a Pro-Pro sequence in the structure to stabilize the β-turn and a β-amino acid, amino napthyl propionic acid. To investigate the effect of the chirality of β-amino acid on the structure of the peptide and its antiproliferative activity, diastereoisomers of compound 18 were designed and synthesized. Structure-activity relationships of these compounds indicated that there is a chiral switch at β-amino acid in the designed compound. The peptidomimetic with R configuration at β-amino acid and with a L-Pro-D-Pro sequence was the most active compound (18). Using enzyme complement fragmentation assay and proximity ligation assay, we show that compound 18 inhibits HER2:HER3 and EGFR:HER2 dimerization. Surface plasmon resonance studies suggested that compound 18 binds to the HER2 extracellular domain and in particular to domain IV. The anticancer activity of compound 18 was evaluated using a xenograft model of breast cancer in mice; compound 18 suppressed the tumor growth in mice compared to control. Compound 18 was also shown to have a synergistic effect with erlotinib on EGFR mutated lung cancer cell lines.

Measuring Cancer Drug Sensitivity and Resistance in Cultured Cells

Measuring the potencies of small-molecule drugs in cell lines is a critical aspect of preclinical pharmacology. Such experiments are also prototypical of high-throughput experiments in multi-well plates. The procedure is simple in principle, but many unrecognized factors can affect the results, potentially making data unreliable. The procedures for measuring drug response described here were developed by the NIH LINCS program to improve reproducibility. Key features include maximizing uniform cell growth during the assay period, accounting for the effects of cell density on response, and correcting sensitivity measures for differences in proliferation rates. Two related protocols are described: one involves an endpoint measure well-suited to large-scale studies and the second is a time-dependent measurement that reveals changes in response over time. The methods can be adapted to other types of plate-based experiments. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Design of a doxorubicin-peptidomimetic conjugate that targets HER2-positive cancer cells

Doxorubicin (DOX) belongs to the anthracycline class of drugs that are used in the treatment of various cancers. It has limited cystostatic effects in therapeutic doses, but higher doses can cause cardiotoxicity. In the current approach, we conjugated a peptidomimetic (Arg-aminonaphthylpropionic acid-Phe, compound 5) known to bind to HER2 protein to DOX via a glutaric anhydride linker. Antiproliferative assays suggest that the DOX-peptidomimetic conjugate has activity in the lower micromolar range. The conjugate exhibited higher toxicity in HER2-overexpressed cells than in MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells that do not overexpress HER2 protein. Cellular uptake studies using confocal microscope experiments showed that the conjugate binds to HER2-overexpressed cells and DOX is taken up into the cells in 4 h compared to conjugate in MCF-7 cells. Binding studies using surface plasmon resonance indicated that the conjugate binds to the HER2 extracellular domain with high affinity compared to compound 5 or DOX alone. The conjugate was stable in the presence of cells with a half-life of nearly 4 h and 1 h in human serum. DOX is released from the conjugate and internalized into the cells in 4 h, causing cellular toxicity. These results suggest that this conjugate can be used to target DOX to HER2-overexpressing cells and can improve the therapeutic index of DOX for HER2-positive cancer.

Structure-activity relationships of peptidomimetics that inhibit PPI of HER2-HER3

Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) is a tyrosine kinase family protein receptor that is known to undergo heterodimerization with other members of the family of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) for cell signaling. Overexpression of HER2 and deregulation of signaling has implications in breast, ovarian, and lung cancers. We have designed several peptidomimetics to block the HER2-mediated dimerization, resulting in antiproliferative activity for cancer cells. In this work, we have investigated the structure-activity relationships of peptidomimetic analogs of Compound 5. Compound 5 was conformationally constrained by N- and C-terminal modification and cyclization as well as by substitution with d-amino acids at the N-and C-termini. Among the compounds studied in this work, a peptidomimetic Compound 21 with d-amino acid substitution and its N- and C-termini capped with acetyl and amide functional groups and a reversed sequence compared to that of Compound 5 exhibited better antiproliferative activity in HER2-overexpressed breast, ovarian, and lung cancer cell lines. Compound 21 was further evaluated for its protein-protein interaction (PPI) inhibition ability using enzyme fragment complementation assay, proximity ligation assay, and Western blot analysis. Results suggested that Compound 21 is able to block HER2:HER3 interaction and inhibit phosphorylation of the kinase domain of HER2. The mode of binding of Compound 21 to HER2 protein was modeled using a docking method. Compound 21 seems to bind to domain IV of HER2 near the PPI site of EGFR:HER2, and HER:HER3 and inhibit PPI.

Novel Peptidomimetics for Inhibition of HER2:HER3 Heterodimerization in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

The current approach to treating HER2-overexpressed breast cancer is the use of monoclonal antibodies or a combination of antibodies with traditional chemotherapeutic agents or kinase inhibitors. Our approach is to target clinically validated HER2 domain IV with peptidomimetics and inhibit the protein-protein interactions (PPI) of HERs. Unlike antibodies, peptidomimetics have advantages in terms of stability, modification, and molecular size. We have designed peptidomimetics (compounds 5 and 9) that bind to HER2 domain IV, inhibit protein-protein interactions, and decrease cell viability in breast cancer cells with HER2 overexpression. We have shown, using enzyme fragment complementation and proximity ligation assays, that peptidomimetics inhibit the PPI of HER2:HER3. Compounds 5 and 9 suppressed the tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. Furthermore, we have shown that these compounds inhibit PPI of HER2:HER3 and phosphorylation of HER2 as compared to control in tissue samples derived from in vivo studies. The stability of the compounds was also investigated in mouse serum, and the compounds exhibited stability with a half-life of up to 3 h. These results suggest that the novel peptidomimetics we have developed target the extracellular domain of HER2 protein and inhibit HER2:HER3 interaction, providing a novel method to treat HER2-positive cancer.

Fluorometric assessment of acetaminophen-induced toxicity in rat hepatocyte spheroids seeded on micro-space cell culture plates

Hepatotoxicity induced by the metabolic activation of drugs is a major concern in drug discovery and development. Three-dimensional (3-D) cultures of hepatocyte spheroids may be superior to monolayer cultures for evaluating drug metabolism and toxicity because hepatocytes in spheroids maintain the expression of various metabolizing enzymes and transporters, such as cytochrome P450 (CYP). In this study, we examined the hepatotoxicity due to metabolic activation of acetaminophen (APAP) using fluorescent indicators of cell viability and intracellular levels of glutathione (GSH) in rat hepatocyte spheroids grown on micro-space cell culture plates. The mRNA expression levels of some drug-metabolizing enzymes were maintained during culture. Additionally, this culture system was compatible with microfluorometric imaging under confocal laser scanning microscopy. APAP induced a decrease in intracellular ATP at 10mM, which was blocked by the CYP inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT). APAP (10mM, 24h) decreased the levels of both intracellular ATP and GSH, and GSH-conjugated APAP (APAP-GSH) were formed. All three effects were blocked by ABT, confirming a contribution of APAP metabolic activation by CYP to spheroid toxicity. Fluorometric imaging of hepatocyte spheroids on micro-space cell culture plates may allow the screening of drug-induced hepatotoxicity during pharmaceutical development.