Structural changes of DNA induced by mono- and binuclear cancer drugs

Impact of HMGB1 binding on the structural alterations of platinum drug-treated single dsDNA molecule

High mobility group B1 (HMGB1) is an architectural protein that recognizes the DNA damage sites formed by the platinum anticancer drugs. However, the impact of HMGB1 binding on the structural alterations of the platinum drug-treated single dsDNA molecules has remained largely unknown. Herein, the structural alterations induced by the platinum drugs, the mononuclear cisplatin and it's analog the trinuclear BBR3464, have been probed in presence of HMGB1, by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and AFM-based force spectroscopy. It is observed that the drug-induced DNA loop formation enhanced upon HMGB1 binding, most likely as a result of HMGB1-induced increase in DNA conformational flexibility that allowed the drug-binding sites to come close and form double adducts, thereby resulting in enhanced loop formation via inter-helix cross-linking. Since HMGB1 enhances DNA flexibility, the near-reversible structural transitions as observed in the force-extension curves (for 1 h drug treatment), generally occurred at lower forces in presence of HMGB1. The DNA structural integrity was largely lost after 24 h drug treatment as no reversible transition could be observed. The Young's modulus of the dsDNA molecules, as estimated from the force-extension analysis, increased upon drug treatment, due to formation of the drug-induced covalent cross-links and consequent reduction in DNA flexibility. The Young's modulus increased further in presence of HMGB1 due to HMGB1-induced enhancement in DNA flexibility that could ease formation of the drug-induced covalent cross-links. To our knowledge, this is the first report that shows an increase in the stiffness of the platinum drug-treated DNA molecules in presence of HMGB1.

Genotoxicity of selected pyrrolizidine alkaloids in human hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and Huh6

INTRODUCTION

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are found in many plant species as secondary metabolites which affect humans via contaminated food sources, herbal medicines and dietary supplements. Hundreds of compounds belonging to PAs have been identified. PAs undergo hepatic metabolism, after which they can induce hepatotoxicity and carcinogenicity. Many aspects of their mechanism of carcinogenicity are still unclear and it is important for human risk assessment to investigate this class of compounds further.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Human hepatoma cells HepG2 were used to investigate the genotoxicity of different chemical structural classes of PAs, namely europine, lycopsamine, retrorsine, riddelliine, seneciphylline, echimidine and lasiocarpine, in the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay. The different ester type PAs europine, seneciphylline, and lasiocarpine were also tested in human hepatoma Huh6 cells. Six different PAs were investigated in a crosslink comet assay in HepG2 cells.

RESULTS

The maximal increase of micronucleus formation was for all PAs in the range of 1.64-2.0 fold. The lowest concentrations at which significant induction of micronuclei were found were 3.2 μM for lasiocarpine and riddelliine, 32 μM for retrorsine and echimidine, and 100 μM for seneciphylline, europine and lycopsamine. Significant induction of micronuclei by lasiocarpine, seneciphylline, and europine were achieved in Huh6 cells at similar concentrations. Reduced tail formation after hydrogen peroxide treatment was found in the crosslink comet assay for all diester type PAs, while an equimolar concentration of the monoesters europine and lycopsamine did not significantly reduce DNA migration.

CONCLUSION

The widely available human hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and Huh6 were suitable for the assessment of PA-induced genotoxicity. Selected PAs confirmed previously published potency rankings in the micronucleus assay. In HepG2 cells, the crosslinking activity was related to the ester type, which is a first report of PA mediated effects in the comet assay.

Platinum anti-cancer drugs: Free radical mechanism of Pt-DNA adduct formation and anti-neoplastic effect

The literature on the anti-neoplastic effects of Pt drugs provides substantial evidence that free radical may be involved in the formation of Pt-DNA adducts and other cytotoxic effects. The conditions specific to cancerous tumours are more conducive to free radical mechanisms than the commonly accepted hydrolysis nucleophilic-electrophilic mechanism of Pt-DNA adduct formation. Molecular orbital studies of the adiabatic attachment of hydrated electrons to Pt drugs reveal that there is a significant lengthening of the Pt-X bond (where X is Cl, O in cisplatin, carboplatin and some pyrophosphate-Pt drugs but not oxaliplatin) in the anion radical species. This observation is consistent with a dissociative electron transfer (DET) mechanism for the formation of Pt-DNA adducts. A DET reaction mechanism is proposed for the reaction of Pt drugs with guanine which involves a quasi-inner sphere 2 electron transfer process involving a transient intermediate 5 co-ordinated activated anion radical species {R2Pt---Cl(G)(Cl)•}*(-) (where R is an ammine group, and G is guanine) and the complex has an elongated Pt---Cl (or Pt---O) bond. A DET mechanism is also proposed when Pt drugs are activated by reaction with free radicals such as HO•, CO3•(-), O2•(-) but do not react with DNA bases to form adducts, but form Pt-protein adducts with proteins such ezrin, FAS, DR5, TNFR1 etc. The DET mechanism may not occur with oxaliplatin.

Novel dinuclear platinum(II) complexes targets NFkappaB signaling pathway to induce apoptosis and inhibit metabolism of MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Four novel dinuclear platinum(II) complexes of formula [Pt2L4(berenil)2]Cl4 (Pt1-Pt4) where L is piperazine (Pt1), 4-picoline (Pt2), 3-picoline (Pt3) or isopropylamine (Pt4) were compared to cisplatin in respect to collagen biosynthesis, beta1- integrin receptor, IGF-I receptor, phosphorylated MAP-kinases (ERK1/ERK2 and p38), phosphorylated Akt kinase expression and appearance of apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. It was found that Pt1-Pt4 were more active inhibitor of collagen biosynthesis than cisplatin. The expression of IGF-I and beta1 integrin receptor, as well as phosphorylated MAPK, (ERK1 and ERK2 and p38) was significantly increased in cells incubated for 24 h with 20 muM Pt1-Pt4 compared to the control, not treated cells. The phenomenon was related to the increase expresion of NFkappaB by Pt1-Pt4 as shown by Western immunoblot analysis. Experiments made with annexin V-FITC and detection of apoptosis by a fluorescent microscopy assay revealed that novel dinuclear platinum(II) complexes (Pt1-Pt4) inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells by increasing the number of apoptotic and necrotic cells.

Synthesis, DNA interaction and cytotoxicity studies of cis-{[1, 2-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane]dihalo}platinum(II) complexes

A series of platinum compounds with an analogue structure to cisplatin have been synthesized and their biological activity against HL-60 cancer cell line has been studied. The interaction with DNA was evaluated by circular dichroism (CD), electrophoresis and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques showing slight but significant structure-dependent differences among the evaluated complexes. The cytotoxicity assays afforded interesting relationships between the structure and the biological activity, thus, a better antiproliferative activity was observed for the complexes with higher hydrophobicity: the methoxylated complexes showed better activity than the hydroxylated ones (17versus20 and 19versus21). Especially compound 22 having a fatty acid subunit presented a promising cytotoxic activity. On the other hand, dichloro complexes 12 and 13 had better activities than the diiodo complexes, probably due to their better metabolic stability. Between both dichloro complexes the aromatic one showed much higher activity, which could be rationalized on the basis of the intercalating ability of the benzene ring. The flow cytometry assays indicated that most of the complexes induced the cell death by apoptosis except for aromatic compound 12 and the lipophilic compound 22 that induced preferably a mechanism of necrosis.