Aurora B kinase inhibitor AZD1152: determinants of action and ability to enhance chemotherapeutics effectiveness in pancreatic and colon cancer

Background:

AZD1152, the prodrug for AZD1152-hydroxyquinazoline pyrazol anilide (HQPA), is a selective inhibitor of Aurora B kinase activity. Preclinical evaluation of AZD1152 has been reported in several human cancer models. The potentiality of this compound in combination therapy warrants further investigation in solid tumours.

Experimental design:

This study explored the effects of AZD1152-HQPA in colon and pancreatic tumour cells. The antitumour properties of AZD1152, either as single agent or in combination with chemotherapeutics, were evaluated in each study model. The efficacy and the toxicity of AZD1152 alone and in combination with gemcitabine were validated in pancreatic tumour xenograft model.

Results:

AZD1152-HQPA treatment resulted in a dramatic increase of chromosome number, modification of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis. The most effective combination was that with chemotherapeutics given soon after AZD1152 in both tumour cell types. The effectiveness of the sequential schedule of AZD1152 with gemcitabine was confirmed in nude mice bearing MiaPaCa-2 tumours, showing inhibition of tumour volumes and delaying of tumour growth after the interruption of the treatments.

Conclusion:

Here we show that AZD1152-HQPA enhances oxaliplatin and gemcitabine effectiveness in colon and pancreatic cancer, respectively. First, we provide advances into administration schedules and dosing regimens for the combination treatment in in vivo pancreatic tumour.

Aurora Kinases: New Targets for Cancer Therapy

The Aurora kinase family is a collection of highly related serine/threonine kinases that functions as a key regulator of mitosis. In mammalian cells, Aurora has evolved into three related kinases known as Aurora-A, Aurora-B, and Aurora-C. These kinases are overexpressed in a number of human cancers, and transfection studies have established Aurora-A as a bone fide oncogene. Because Aurora overexpression is associated with malignancy, these kinases have been targeted for cancer therapy. This article reviews the multiple functions of Aurora kinase in the regulation of mitosis and the mitotic checkpoint, the role of abnormal Aurora kinase activity in the development of cancer, the putative mechanisms of Aurora kinase inhibition and its antitumor effects, the development of the first generation of Aurora kinase inhibitors, and prospects for the future of Aurora kinase inhibition in the treatment of cancer.

Targeting the cell cycle: a new approach to cancer therapy

The cell cycle represents a series of tightly integrated events that allow the cell to grow and proliferate. Critical parts of the cell cycle machinery are the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which, when activated, provide a means for the cell to move from one phase of the cell cycle to the next. The CDKs are regulated positively by cyclins and regulated negatively by naturally occurring CDK inhibitors (CDKIs). Cancer represents a dysregulation of the cell cycle such that cells that overexpress cyclins or do not express the CDKIs continue to undergo unregulated cell growth. The cell cycle also serves to protect the cell from DNA damage. Thus, cell cycle arrest, in fact, represents a survival mechanism that provides the tumor cell the opportunity to repair its own damaged DNA. Thus, abrogation of cell cycle checkpoints, before DNA repair is complete, can activate the apoptotic cascade, leading to cell death. Now in clinical trials are a series of targeted agents that directly inhibit the CDKs, inhibit unrestricted cell growth, and induce growth arrest. Recent attention has also focused on these drugs as inhibitors of transcription. In addition, there are now agents that abrogate the cell cycle checkpoints at critical time points that make the tumor cell susceptible to apoptosis. An understanding of the cell cycle is critical to understanding how best to clinically develop these agents, both as single agents and in combination with chemotherapy.