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Yusoh NA, Tiley PR, James SD, Harun SN, Thomas JA, Saad N, Hii LW, Chia SL, Gill MR, Ahmad H. Discovery of Ruthenium(II) Metallocompound and Olaparib Synergy for Cancer Combination Therapy. J Med Chem 2023; 66:6922-6937. [PMID: 37185020 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Synergistic drug combinations can extend the use of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) such as Olaparib to BRCA-proficient tumors and overcome acquired or de novo drug resistance. To identify new synergistic combinations for PARPi, we screened a "micro-library" comprising a mix of commercially available drugs and DNA-binding ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes (RPCs) for Olaparib synergy in BRCA-proficient triple-negative breast cancer cells. This identified three hits: the natural product Curcumin and two ruthenium(II)-rhenium(I) polypyridyl metallomacrocycles. All combinations identified were effective in BRCA-proficient breast cancer cells, including an Olaparib-resistant cell line, and spheroid models. Mechanistic studies indicated that synergy was achieved via DNA-damage enhancement and resultant apoptosis. Combinations showed low cytotoxicity toward non-malignant breast epithelial cells and low acute and developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos. This work identifies RPC metallomacrocycles as a novel class of agents for cancer combination therapy and provides a proof of concept for the inclusion of metallocompounds within drug synergy screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Aininie Yusoh
- UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Paul R Tiley
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, U.K
| | - Steffan D James
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, U.K
| | - Siti Norain Harun
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Jim A Thomas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7HF, U.K
| | - Norazalina Saad
- UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ling-Wei Hii
- Center for Cancer and Stem Cell Research, Development and Innovation (IRDI), Institute for Research, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
| | - Suet Lin Chia
- UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Martin R Gill
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, U.K
| | - Haslina Ahmad
- UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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Han J, Wan M, Ma Z, Yi H. Regulation of DNA-PK activity promotes the progression of TNBC via enhancing the immunosuppressive function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Cancer Med 2023; 12:5939-5952. [PMID: 36373232 PMCID: PMC10028116 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.5387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is engaged in DNA damage repair and is significantly expressed in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Inhibiting DNA-PK to reduce DNA damage repair provides a possibility of tumor treatment. NU7441, a DNA-PK inhibitor, can regulate the function and differentiation of CD4+ T cells and effectively enhance immunogenicity of monocyte-derived dendritic cells. However, the effect of NU7441 on the tumor progression activity of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in TNBC remains unclear. RESULTS In this study, we found that NU7441 alone significantly increased tumor growth in 4 T1 (a mouse TNBC cell line) tumor-bearing mice. Bioinformatics analysis showed that DNA-PK and functional markers of MDSCs (iNOS, Arg1, and IDO) tended to coexist in breast cancer patients. The mutations of these genes were significantly correlated with lower survival in breast cancer patients. Moreover, NU7441 significantly decreased the percentage of MDSCs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), spleen and tumor, but enhanced the immunosuppressive function of splenic MDSCs. Furthermore, NU7441 increased MDSCs' DNA-PK and pDNA-PK protein levels in PBMCs and in the spleen and increased DNA-PK mRNA expression and expression of MDSCs functional markers in splenic MDSCs from tumor-bearing mice. NU7441 combined with gemcitabine reduced tumor volume, which may be because gemcitabine eliminated the remaining MDSCs with enhanced immunosuppressive ability. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight that the regulation of DNA-PK activity by NU7441 promotes TNBC progression via enhancing the immunosuppressive function of MDSCs. Moreover, NU7441 combined with gemcitabine offers an efficient therapeutic approach for TNBC and merits deeper investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawen Han
- Central Laboratory, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
| | - Minjie Wan
- Central Laboratory, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhanchuan Ma
- Central Laboratory, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
| | - Huanfa Yi
- Central Laboratory, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
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Bastiaannet R, Liatsou I, F Hobbs R, Sgouros G. Large-scale in vitro microdosimetry via live cell microscopy imaging: implications for radiosensitivity and RBE evaluations in alpha-emitter radiopharmaceutical therapy. J Transl Med 2023; 21:144. [PMID: 36829143 PMCID: PMC9951424 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-03991-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alpha-emitter radiopharmaceutical therapy (αRPT) has shown promising outcomes in metastatic disease. However, the short range of the alpha particles necessitates dosimetry on a near-cellular spatial scale. Current knowledge on cellular dosimetry is primarily based on in vitro experiments using cell monolayers. The goal of such experiments is to establish cell sensitivity to absorbed dose (AD). However, AD cannot be measured directly and needs to be modeled. Current models, often idealize cells as spheroids in a regular grid (geometric model), simplify binding kinetics and ignore the stochastic nature of radioactive decay. It is unclear what the impact of such simplifications is, but oversimplification results in inaccurate and non-generalizable results, which hampers the rigorous study of the underlying radiobiology. METHODS We systematically mapped out 3D cell geometries, clustering behavior, agent binding, internalization, and subcellular trafficking kinetics for a large cohort of live cells under representative experimental conditions using confocal microscopy. This allowed for realistic Monte Carlo-based (micro)dosimetry. Experimentally established surviving fractions of the HER2 + breast cancer cell line treated with a 212Pb-labelled anti-HER2 conjugate or external beam radiotherapy, anchored a rigorous statistical approach to cell sensitivity and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) estimation. All outcomes were compared to a reference geometric model, which allowed us to determine which aspects are crucial model components for the proper study of the underlying radiobiology. RESULTS In total, 567 cells were measured up to 26 h post-incubation. Realistic cell clustering had a large (2x), and cell geometry a small (16.4% difference) impact on AD, compared to the geometric model. Microdosimetry revealed that more than half of the cells do not receive any dose for most of the tested conditions, greatly impacting cell sensitivity estimates. Including these stochastic effects in the model, resulted in significantly more accurate predictions of surviving fraction and RBE (permutation test; p < .01). CONCLUSIONS This comprehensive integration of the biological and physical aspects resulted in a more accurate method of cell survival modelling in αRPT experiments. Specifically, including realistic stochastic radiation effects and cell clustering behavior is crucial to obtaining generalizable radiobiological parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remco Bastiaannet
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 1550 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
| | - Ioanna Liatsou
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 1550 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD 21287 USA
| | - Robert F Hobbs
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 1550 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD 21287 USA
| | - George Sgouros
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 1550 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD 21287 USA
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Liatsou I, Yu J, Bastiaannet R, Li Z, Hobbs RF, Torgue J, Sgouros G. 212Pb-conjugated anti-rat HER2/ neu antibody against a neu-N derived murine mammary carcinoma cell line: cell kill and RBE in vitro. Int J Radiat Biol 2022; 98:1452-1461. [PMID: 35073214 PMCID: PMC9673603 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2022.2033341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE In the current work, the RBE of a 212Pb-conjugated anti-HER2/neu antibody construct has been evaluated, in vitro, by colony formation assay. The RBE was estimated by comparing two absorbed dose-survival curves: the first obtained from the conjugated 212Pb experiments (test radiation), the second obtained by parallel experiments of single bolus irradiation of external beam (reference radiation). MATERIALS AND METHODS Mammary carcinoma NT2.5 cells were treated with (0-3.70) kBq/ml of radiolabeled antibody. Nonspecific binding was assessed with addition of excess amount of unlabeled antibody. The colony formation curves were converted from activity concentration to cell nucleus absorbed dose by simulating the decay and transport of all daughter and secondary particles of 212Pb, using the Monte Carlo code GEANT 4. RESULTS The radiolabeled antibody yielded an RBE of 8.3 at 37% survival and a survival independent RBE (i.e. RBE2) of 9.9. Unbound/untargeted 212Pb-labeled antibody, as obtained in blocking experiments yielded minimal alpha-particle radiation to cells. Conclusions: These results further highlight the importance of specific targeting toward achieving tumor cell kill and low toxicity to normal tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Liatsou
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Jing Yu
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Remco Bastiaannet
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Zhi Li
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Robert F. Hobbs
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | | | - George Sgouros
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
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Abstract
Many cancer therapies, including radiotherapy, induce DSBs as the major driving mechanism for inducing cancer cell death. Thus, modulating DSB repair has immense potential for radiosensitization, although such interventions must be carefully designed to be tumor selective to ensure that normal tissue toxicities are not also increased. Here, we review mechanisms of error-prone DSB repair through a highly efficient process called end joining. There are two major pathways of end-joining repair: non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and alternative end joining (a-EJ), both of which can be selectively upregulated in cancer and thus represent attractive therapeutic targets for radiosensitization. These EJ pathways each have therapeutically targetable pioneer factors - DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) for NHEJ and DNA Polymerase Theta (Pol θ) for a-EJ. We summarize the current status of therapeutic targeting of NHEJ and a-EJ to enhance the effects of radiotherapy - focusing on challenges that must be overcome and opportunities that require further exploration. By leveraging preclinical insights into mechanisms of altered DSB repair programs in cancer, selective radiosensitization through NHEJ and/or a-EJ targeting remains a highly attractive avenue for ongoing and future clinical investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chelsea M Smith
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; Pathobiology and Translational Science Graduate Program
| | | | - Gaorav P Gupta
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; Pathobiology and Translational Science Graduate Program; Department of Radiation Oncology; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
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