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Zinnah KMA, Park SY. Sensitizing TRAIL‑resistant A549 lung cancer cells and enhancing TRAIL‑induced apoptosis with the antidepressant amitriptyline. Oncol Rep 2021; 46:144. [PMID: 34080659 PMCID: PMC8185507 DOI: 10.3892/or.2021.8095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a cytokine with the potential to induce cancer cell-specific apoptosis with minimal toxicity to normal cells. Therefore, the resistance of certain cancer cells to TRAIL is a major concern and agents that can either enhance TRAIL capabilities or overcome TRAIL resistance are necessary for the development of cancer treatments. The present study investigated whether the antidepressant drug amitriptyline could sensitize TRAIL-resistant A549 lung cancer cells and enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Antidepressants are usually prescribed to cancer patients to relieve emotional distress, such as depression or dysthymia. The present study revealed for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that amitriptyline increased death receptor (DR) 4 and 5 expression, a requirement for TRAIL-induced cell death. Genetic inhibitors of DR4 and DR5 significantly reduced amitriptyline-enhanced TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. Additionally, the present study explored whether blocking autophagy increased DR4 and DR5 expression. Blocking autophagy flux with the final stage autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) also upregulated DR4 and DR5 expression. TRAIL in combination with amitriptyline or CQ significantly increased the expression of apoptosis-indicator proteins cleaved caspase-8 and caspase-3. The expression levels of LC3-II and p62 were significantly higher in amitriptyline-treated cells, which confirmed that amitriptyline blocks autophagy by inhibiting the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes. Overall, the present results contributed to understanding the mechanism responsible for the synergistic anticancer effect of amitriptyline and TRAIL and also presented a novel mechanism involved in DR4 and DR5 upregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M A Zinnah
- Biosafety Research Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Youel Park
- Biosafety Research Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54596, Republic of Korea
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Brickute D, Beckley A, Allott L, Braga M, Barnes C, Thorley KJ, Aboagye EO. Synthesis and evaluation of 3'-[ 18F]fluorothymidine-5'-squaryl as a bioisostere of 3'-[ 18F]fluorothymidine-5'-monophosphate. RSC Adv 2021; 11:12423-12433. [PMID: 35423725 PMCID: PMC8696986 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra00205h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The squaryl moiety has emerged as an important phosphate bioisostere with reportedly greater cell permeability. It has been used in the synthesis of several therapeutic drug molecules including nucleoside and nucleotide analogues but is yet to be evaluated in the context of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. We have designed, synthesised and evaluated 3'-[18F]fluorothymidine-5'-squaryl ([18F]SqFLT) as a bioisostere to 3'-[18F]fluorothymidine-5'-monophosphate ([18F]FLTMP) for imaging thymidylate kinase (TMPK) activity. The overall radiochemical yield (RCY) was 6.7 ± 2.5% and radiochemical purity (RCP) was >90%. Biological evaluation in vitro showed low tracer uptake (<0.3% ID mg-1) but significantly discriminated between wildtype HCT116 and CRISPR/Cas9 generated TMPK knockdown HCT116shTMPK-. Evaluation of [18F]SqFLT in HCT116 and HCT116shTMPK- xenograft mouse models showed statistically significant differences in tumour uptake, but lacked an effective tissue retention mechanism, making the radiotracer in its current form unsuitable for PET imaging of proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Brickute
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital W12 0NN London UK
| | - A Beckley
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital W12 0NN London UK
| | - L Allott
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital W12 0NN London UK
| | - M Braga
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital W12 0NN London UK
| | - C Barnes
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital W12 0NN London UK
| | - K J Thorley
- University of Kentucky, Department of Chemistry Lexington KY 40506 USA
| | - E O Aboagye
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital W12 0NN London UK
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García-Argüello SF, Lopez-Lorenzo B, Cornelissen B, Smith G. Development of [ 18F]ICMT-11 for Imaging Caspase-3/7 Activity during Therapy-Induced Apoptosis. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2191. [PMID: 32781531 PMCID: PMC7465189 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Insufficient apoptosis is a recognised hallmark of cancer. A strategy to quantitatively measure apoptosis in vivo would be of immense value in both drug discovery and routine patient management. The first irreversible step in the apoptosis cascade is activation of the "executioner" caspase-3 enzyme to commence cleavage of key structural proteins. One strategy to measure caspase-3 activity is Positron Emission Tomography using isatin-5-sulfonamide radiotracers. One such radiotracer is [18F]ICMT-11, which has progressed to clinical application. This review summarises the design and development process for [18F]ICMT-11, suggesting potential avenues for further innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Segundo Francisco García-Argüello
- Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Sanitarias, Fundación General Universidad de Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain;
- Grupo de Arteriosclerosis, Prevención Cardiovascular y Metabolismo, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Beatriz Lopez-Lorenzo
- Biomedicina, Investigación Traslacional y Nuevas Tecnologías en Salud, Universidad de Málaga, 29016 Málaga, Spain;
- BIONAND-Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Junta de Andalucía—Universidad de Málaga), 29590 Málaga, Spain
| | - Bart Cornelissen
- Department of Oncology, CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK;
| | - Graham Smith
- Department of Oncology, CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK;
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Abstract
Preclinical imaging with radiolabeled probes can provide noninvasive tools to test the efficacy of targeted agents in tumors harboring specific genetic alterations and to identify imaging parameters that can be used as pharmacodynamics markers in cancer patients. The present review will primarily focus on preclinical imaging studies that can accelerate the clinical approval of targeted agents and promote the development of imaging biomarkers for clinical applications. Since only subgroups of patients may benefit from treatment with targeted anticancer agents, the identification of a patient population expressing the target is of primary importance for the success of clinical trials. Preclinical imaging studies tested the ability of new radiolabeled compounds to recognize mutant, amplified, or overexpressed targets and some of these tracers were transferred to the clinical setting. More common tracers such as 18F-Fluorothymidine and 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose were employed in animal models to test the inhibition of the target and downstream pathways through the evaluation of early changes of proliferation and glucose metabolism allowing the identification of sensitive and resistant tumors. Furthermore, since the majority of patients treated with targeted anticancer agents will invariably develop resistance, preclinical imaging studies were performed to test the efficacy of reversal agents to overcome resistance. These studies provided consistent evidence that imaging with radiolabeled probes can monitor the reversal of drug resistance by newly designed alternative compounds. Finally, despite many difficulties and challenges, preclinical imaging studies targeting the expression of immune checkpoints proved the principle that it is feasible to select patients for immunotherapy based on imaging findings. In conclusion, preclinical imaging can be considered as an integral part of the complex translational process that moves a newly developed targeted agent from laboratory to clinical application intervening in all clinically relevant steps including patient selection, early monitoring of drug effects and reversal of drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Iommelli
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Viviana De Rosa
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Cristina Terlizzi
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
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Vassileva V, Stribbling SM, Barnes C, Carroll L, Braga M, Abrahams J, Heinzmann K, Haegeman C, MacFarlane M, Simpson KL, Dive C, Honeychurch J, Illidge TM, Aboagye EO. Evaluation of apoptosis imaging biomarkers in a genetic model of cell death. EJNMMI Res 2019; 9:18. [PMID: 30783791 PMCID: PMC6381199 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-019-0487-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We have previously developed the caspase-based radiotracer, 18F-ICMT-11, for PET imaging to monitor treatment response. We further validated 18F-ICMT-11 specificity in a murine melanoma death-switch tumour model with conditional activation of caspase-3 induced by doxycycline. METHODS Caspase-3/7 activity and cellular uptake of 18F-ICMT-11, 18F-ML-10 and 18F-FDG were assessed in B16ova and B16ovaRevC3 cells after death-switch induction. Death-switch induction was confirmed in vivo in xenograft tumours, and 18F-ICMT-11 and 18F-ML-10 biodistribution was assessed by ex vivo gamma counting of select tissues. PET imaging was performed with 18F-ICMT-11, 18F-ML-10 and 18F-FDG. Caspase-3 activation was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Significantly increased caspase-3/7 activity was observed only in B16ovaRevC3 cells after death-switch induction, accompanied by significantly increased 18F-ICMT-11 (p < 0.001) and 18F-ML-10 (p < 0.05) and decreased 18F-FDG (p < 0.001) uptake compared with controls. B16ova and B16ovaRevC3 tumours had similar growth in vivo; however, B16ovaRevC3 growth was significantly reduced with death-switch induction (p < 0.01). Biodistribution studies showed significantly increased 18F-ICMT-11 tumour uptake following death-switch induction (p < 0.01), but not for 18F-ML-10. Tumour uptake of 18F-ICMT-11 was higher than that of 18F-ML-10 after death-switch induction. PET imaging studies showed that 18F-ICMT-11 can be used to detect apoptosis after death-switch induction, which was accompanied by significantly increased expression of cleaved caspase-3. 18F-FDG signal decreased in tumours after death-switch induction. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that 18F-ICMT-11 can be used to detect caspase-3 activation in a death-switch tumour model, independent of the confounding effects of cancer therapeutics, thus confirming its specificity and supporting the development of this radiotracer for clinical use to monitor tumour apoptosis and therapy response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vessela Vassileva
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Stephen M. Stribbling
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Chris Barnes
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Laurence Carroll
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Marta Braga
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Joel Abrahams
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Kathrin Heinzmann
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Caroline Haegeman
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Marion MacFarlane
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 9HN UK
| | - Kathryn L. Simpson
- Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, SK10 4TG UK
| | - Caroline Dive
- Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, SK10 4TG UK
| | - Jamie Honeychurch
- Targeted Therapy Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Timothy M. Illidge
- Targeted Therapy Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Eric O. Aboagye
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
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