Early indicators of primary brain tumours: a population-based study with 10 years' follow-up

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To improve diagnoses of primary brain tumours, knowledge about early indicators is needed. Nationwide Danish health registries were used to conduct a population-based case-control study including all persons diagnosed with a primary brain tumour between 2005 and 2014 in Denmark.

METHODS

All 5135 adults diagnosed with a primary brain tumour in the Danish Cancer Registry were matched to 19 572 general population comparisons from the Danish Civil Registration System. Conditional logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate age- and multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the occurrence of a primary brain tumour up to 10 years after hospital diagnoses or prescription of medications related to nervous system diseases and mental and behavioural disorders.

RESULTS

Increased odds for primary brain tumour after nervous system diseases and mental and behavioural disorders manifested up to 10 years before tumour diagnosis were found. Increased odds were seen especially for hospital contacts for inflammatory nervous system diseases [OR 11.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.5-19.7], epilepsy (OR 9.0; 95% CI 7.6-10.7) and antiepileptic medications (OR 3.6; 95% CI 3.2-4.0), whilst antidementia medications provided a strong, protective association for primary brain tumours (OR 0.5; 95% CI 0.3-0.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Sub-groups of patients diagnosed with or being prescribed certain medications targeting nervous system diseases and mental and behavioural disorders may be at increased risk of being diagnosed with a primary brain tumour. Further studies should disentangle the potential underlying common pathogenetic pathways. The results are important for the development of systematic clinical approaches to ensure early diagnosis of primary brain tumours.

Familial confounding of the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and internalizing disorders in offspring

BACKGROUND

Maternal smoking has consistently been associated with multiple adverse childhood outcomes including externalizing disorders. In contrast the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) and internalizing (anxiety and depressive) disorders in offspring has received less investigation.

METHOD

We conducted a nationwide cohort study including 957635 individuals born in Denmark between 1991 and 2007. Data on MSDP and diagnoses of depression or anxiety disorders were derived from national registers and patients were followed up from the age of 5 years to the end of 2012. Hazard rate ratios (HRRs) were estimated using stratified Cox regression models. Sibling data were used to disentangle individual- and familial-level effects of MSDP and to control for unmeasured familial confounding.

RESULTS

At the population level, offspring exposed to MSDP were at increased risk for both severe depression [HRR 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-1.36] and severe anxiety disorders (HRR 1.26, 95% CI 1.20-1.32) even when controlling for maternal and paternal traits. However, there was no association between MSDP and internalizing disorders when controlling for the mother's propensity for MSDP (depression: HRR 1.11, 95% CI 0.94-1.30; anxiety disorders: HRR 0.94, 95% CI 0.80-1.11) or comparing differentially exposed siblings (depression: HRR 1.18, 95% CI 0.75-1.89; anxiety disorders: HRR 0.87, 95% CI 0.55-1.36).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that familial background factors account for the association between MSDP and severe internalizing disorders not the specific exposure to MSDP.

Functionalization of Ruthenium(II)(η6 -p-cymene)(3-hydroxy-2-pyridone) Complexes with (Thio)Morpholine: Synthesis and Bioanalytical Studies

Hydroxypyr(id)ones constitute an emerging platform for the design of drug molecules, owing to their favorable biocompatibility and toxicity profiles. Herein, [Ru^II (η⁶ -p-cymene)] complexes with 3-hydroxy-2-pyridinone functionalized with morpholine and thiomorpholine, as a means often used in medicinal chemistry to alter the physicochemical properties of drug compounds, are reported. The compounds underwent hydrolysis of the Ru-Cl bond and the aqua species were stable for up to 48 h in aqueous solution, as observed by ¹ H NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS. The compounds formed adducts with amino acids and proteins through cleavage of the pyridinone ligand. Binding experiments to the nucleosome core particle by means of X-ray crystallography revealed similar reactivity and exclusive binding to histidine moieties of the histone proteins. Preliminary cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2)/cyclin A kinase inhibitory studies revealed promising activity similar to that of structurally related organometallic compounds.

A 12-week intervention with nonivamide, a TRPV1 agonist, prevents a dietary-induced body fat gain and increases peripheral serotonin in moderately overweight subjects

SCOPE

A bolus administration of 0.15 mg nonivamide has previously been demonstrated to reduce energy intake in moderately overweight men. This 12-week intervention investigated whether a daily consumption of nonivamide in a protein-based product formulation promotes a reduction in body weight in healthy overweight subjects and affects outcome measures associated with mechanisms regulating food intake, e.g. plasma concentrations of (an)orexigenic hormones, energy substrates as well as changes in fecal microbiota.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Nineteen overweight subjects were randomly assigned to either a control (C) or a nonivamide (NV) group. Changes in the body composition and plasma concentrations of satiating hormones were determined at fasting and 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after a glucose load. Participants were instructed to consume 0.15 mg nonivamide per day in 450 mL of a milk shake additionally to their habitual diet. After treatment, a group difference in body fat mass change (-0.61 ± 0.36% in NV and +1.36 ± 0.38% in C) and an increase in postprandial plasma serotonin were demonstrated. Plasma metabolome and fecal microbiome read outs were not affected.

CONCLUSIONS

A daily intake of 0.15 mg nonivamide helps to support to maintain a healthy body composition.

Response Profiling Using Shotgun Proteomics Enables Global Metallodrug Mechanisms of Action To Be Established

Response profiling using shotgun proteomics for establishing global metallodrug mechanisms of action in two colon carcinoma cell lines, HCT116 and SW480, has been applied and evaluated with the clinically approved arsenic trioxide. Surprisingly, the complete established mechanism of action of arsenic trioxide was observed by protein regulations in SW480, but not HCT116 cells. Comparing the basal protein expression in the two cell lines revealed an 80 % convergence of protein identification, but with significant expression differences, which in turn seem to affect the extent of protein regulation. A clear-cut redox response was observed in SW480 cells upon treatment with arsenic, but hardly in HCT116 cells. Response profiling was then used to investigate four anti-cancer metallodrugs (KP46, KP772, KP1339 and KP1537). Proteome alterations were mapped to selected functional groups, including DNA repair, endocytosis, protection from oxidative stress, protection from endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) stress, cell adhesion and mitochondrial function. The present data suggest that knowledge of the mechanism of action of anti-cancer metallodrugs and improved patient stratification strategies are imperative for the design of clinical studies.

The metalation of hen egg white lysozyme impacts protein stability as shown by ion mobility mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray crystallography

Metalation of lysozyme with anticancer organometallics results in protein destabilisation, probably relevant in metallodrug mode of action.

Multi-omics Analysis of Serum Samples Demonstrates Reprogramming of Organ Functions Via Systemic Calcium Mobilization and Platelet Activation in Metastatic Melanoma

Pathophysiologies of cancer-associated syndromes such as cachexia are poorly understood and no routine biomarkers have been established, yet. Using shotgun proteomics, known marker molecules including PMEL, CRP, SAA, and CSPG4 were found deregulated in patients with metastatic melanoma. Targeted analysis of 58 selected proteins with multiple reaction monitoring was applied for independent data verification. In three patients, two of which suffered from cachexia, a tissue damage signature was determined, consisting of nine proteins, PLTP, CD14, TIMP1, S10A8, S10A9, GP1BA, PTPRJ, CD44, and C4A, as well as increased levels of glycine and asparagine, and decreased levels of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine concentrations, as determined by targeted metabolomics. Remarkably, these molecules are known to be involved in key processes of cancer cachexia. Based on these results, we propose a model how metastatic melanoma may lead to reprogramming of organ functions via formation of platelet activating factors from long-chain polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines under oxidative conditions and via systemic induction of intracellular calcium mobilization. Calcium mobilization in platelets was demonstrated to alter levels of several of these marker molecules. Additionally, platelets from melanoma patients proved to be in a rather exhausted state, and platelet-derived eicosanoids implicated in tumor growth were found massively increased in blood from three melanoma patients. Platelets were thus identified as important source of serum protein and lipid alterations in late stage melanoma patients. As a result, the proposed model describes the crosstalk between lipolysis of fat tissue and muscle wasting mediated by oxidative stress, resulting in the metabolic deregulations characteristic for cachexia.

Integrative Systemic and Local Metabolomics with Impact on Survival in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Purpose: Cancer metabolism is characterized by alterations including aerobic glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and need of fuels and building blocks.Experimental Design: Targeted metabolomics of preoperative and follow-up sera, ascites, and tumor tissues, RNA sequencing of isolated tumor cells, local and systemic chemokine, and local immune cell infiltration data from up to 65 high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients and 62 healthy controls were correlated to overall survival and integrated in a Systems Medicine manner.Results: Forty-three mainly (poly)unsaturated glycerophospholipids and four essential amino acids (citrulline) were significantly reduced in patients with short compared with long survival and healthy controls. The glycerophospholipid fingerprint is identical to the fingerprint from isolated (very) low-density lipoproteins (vLDL), indicating that the source of glycerophospholipids consumed by tumors is (v)LDL. A glycerophospholipid-score (HR, 0.46; P = 0.007) and a 100-gene signature (HR, 0.65; P = 0.004) confirmed the independent impact on survival in training (n = 65) and validation (n = 165) cohorts. High concentrations of LDLs and glycerophospholipids were independently predictors for favorable survival. Patients with low glycerophospholipids presented with more systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein and fibrinogen negatively and albumin positively correlated) but less adaptive immune cell tumor infiltration (lower tumor and immune cell PD-L1 expression), less oxygenic respiration and increased triglyceride biosynthesis in tumor cells, and lower histone expressions, correlating with higher numbers of expressed genes and more transcriptional noise, a putative neo-pluripotent tumor cell phenotype.Conclusions: Low serum phospholipids and essential amino acids are correlated with worse outcome in ovarian cancer, accompanied by a specific tumor cell phenotype. Clin Cancer Res; 23(8); 2081-92. ©2016 AACR.

High loading of polygenic risk in cases with chronic schizophrenia

Genomic risk profile scores (GRPSs) have been shown to predict case-control status of schizophrenia (SCZ), albeit with varying sensitivity and specificity. The extent to which this variability in prediction accuracy is related to differences in sampling strategies is unknown. Danish population-based registers and Neonatal Biobanks were used to identify two independent incident data sets (denoted target and replication) comprising together 1861 cases with SCZ and 1706 controls. A third data set was a German prevalent sample with diagnoses assigned to 1773 SCZ cases and 2161 controls based on clinical interviews. GRPSs were calculated based on the genome-wide association results from the largest SCZ meta-analysis yet conducted. As measures of genetic risk prediction, Nagelkerke pseudo-R(2) and variance explained on the liability scale were calculated. GRPS for SCZ showed positive correlations with the number of psychiatric admissions across all P-value thresholds in both the incident and prevalent samples. In permutation-based test, Nagelkerke pseudo-R(2) values derived from samples enriched for frequently admitted cases were found to be significantly higher than for the full data sets (Ptarget=0.017, Preplication=0.04). Oversampling of frequently admitted cases further resulted in a higher proportion of variance explained on the liability scale (improvementtarget= 50%; improvementreplication= 162%). GRPSs are significantly correlated with chronicity of SCZ. Oversampling of cases with a high number of admissions significantly increased the amount of variance in liability explained by GRPS. This suggests that at least part of the effect of common single-nucleotide polymorphisms is on the deteriorative course of illness.

Mass Spectrometry Uncovers Molecular Reactivities of Coordination and Organometallic Gold(III) Drug Candidates in Competitive Experiments That Correlate with Their Biological Effects

The reactivity of three cytotoxic organometallic gold(III) complexes with cyclometalated C,N,N and C,N ligands (either six- or five-membered metallacycles), as well as that of two representative gold(III) complexes with N-donor ligands, with biological nucleophiles has been studied by ESI-MS on ion trap and time-of-flight instruments. Specifically, the gold compounds were reacted with mixtures of nucleophiles containing l-histidine (imine), l-methionine (thioether), l-cysteine (thiol), l-glutamic acid (carboxylic acid), methylseleno-l-cysteine (selenoether), and in situ generated seleno-l-cysteine (selenol) to judge the preference of the gold compounds for binding to selenium-containing amino acid residues. Moreover, the gold compounds' reactivity was studied with proteins and nucleic acid building blocks. These experiments revealed profound differences between the coordination and organometallic families and even within the family of organometallics, which allowed insights to be gained into the compounds mechanisms of action. In particular, interactions with seleno-l-cysteine appear to reflect well the compounds' inhibition properties of the seleno-enzyme thioredoxin reductase and to a certain extent their antiproliferative effects in vitro. Therefore, mass spectrometry is successfully applied for linking the molecular reactivity and target preferences of metal-based drug candidates to their biological effects. Finally, this experimental setup is applicable to any other metallodrug that undergoes ligand substitution reactions and/or redox changes as part of its mechanism of action.

Abstract A78: Serum metabolomics, cytokine measurements, and tumor RNA-seq identified phospholipids correlated with a molecular subclass as strong predictor for outcome in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Background: Currently, the field of ‘omics’ is still growing, giving step by step deeper insight into the biological system of cancer. Increasing evidence suggests that alterations in cancer metabolism might have a tremendous impact on survival and could guide new treatment strategies. Therefore, including metabolic phenotyping in a study design would allow better understanding of the biological function and status of tumor cells and their hosts. Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is very heterogeneous in both, local tumor spread and survival. Molecular subtypes presenting with distinct whole-genome expression profiles and significant survival differences have been described and awareness of the molecular alterations is required to identify new targets for therapy.

In this study, serum metabolite changes were identified and evaluated as potential prognostic markers in a test set of 65 high grade serous EOC (HGSOC) patients. The prognostic impact was validated in an independent cohort of 165 EOC patients.

Methods: Targeted metabolomics was performed on serum using the AbsoluteIDQ p180 kit (Biocrates Life Sciences), measuring 188 metabolites. In addition to a test and validation set of 65 HGSOC and 165 serous advanced stage EOC patients, the metabolomics profile of 62 healthy women was determined. In a subset of patients 16 cancer biomarkers and 40 chemokines were measured using Luminex bead-based assays and whole genome transcriptomes were assessed from different tumor tissues (primary, metastatic, and ascitic) by RNA sequencing.

Results: 53 metabolites were significantly negatively correlated to overall survival (OS). Thereof, the majority (43) constituted glycerophospholipids (GPhL), followed by five acylcarnitines, four sphingolipids and one biogenic amine. A non-linear dimensionality reduction approach was used to reduce the information of the 43 GPhLs to three dimensions. The first showed the strongest impact on OS and revealed, as GPhL predictor, a significant impact on OS in uni- and multivariate (HR 0.38; p<0.001) Cox regression analyses, i.e. low GPhL concentrations in blood lead to worse OS. To determine the biologic background of these changes in the serum lipidome, correlations to cytokines and tumor markers were evaluated. IL6, CXCL2, osteopontin, and CCL23 were significantly negatively and leptin and sEGFR positively correlated to the GPhL-predictor. In a next step, RNA sequencing of different tumor tissues identified 393 genes negatively correlated (i.e. the carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein, ChREPB) and 429 genes positively correlated (i.e. complete respiratory chain, many histones) with the GPhL-predictor.

To provide more profound survival analysis, a validation was performed using expression data initially used for validation of a molecular subclassification with a tremendous impact on OS in 165 serous advanced stage EOC patients (Pils et al. Cancer Sci. 103:1334). Using the 50 most significantly up- and the 50 down-regulated genes a robust predictor was built. This gene predictor represents the GPhL-predictor and had a significant independent impact on OS (HR 0.66; p=0.004). In addition to this validation of the survival impact, a very strong correlation between the observed GPhL changes (via the gene predictor) and the molecular subclass was found, indicating a functional connection between these molecular subclasses and the serum lipidome.

Conclusion: Targetd metabolomics revealed a strong independent impact of the serum concentrations of glycerophospholipids on HGSOC outcome in the test and a validation cohort. Transcriptomics data indicate changes in the energy metabolism of the tumor. Interestingly, the lipidome-changes were strongly correlated to a previously described molecular subclass in serous EOC.

Citation Format: Stefanie Aust, Anna Bachmayr-Heyda, Katharina Auer, Nyamdelger Sukhbaatar, Samuel M. Meier, Christopher Gerner, Dietmar Pils. Serum metabolomics, cytokine measurements, and tumor RNA-seq identified phospholipids correlated with a molecular subclass as strong predictor for outcome in high-grade serous ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A78.

Rhodium(I) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Bioorganometallics as in Vitro Antiproliferative Agents with Distinct Effects on Cellular Signaling

Organometallics with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have triggered major interest in inorganic medicinal chemistry. Complexes of the type Rh(I)(NHC)(COD)X (where X is Cl or I, COD is cyclooctadiene, and NHC is a dimethylbenzimidazolylidene) represent a promising type of new metallodrugs that have been explored by advanced biomedical methods only recently. In this work, we have synthesized and characterized several complexes of this type. As observed by mass spectrometry, these complexes remained stable over at least 3 h in aqueous solution, after which hydrolysis of the halido ligands occurred and release of the NHC ligand was evident. Effects against mitochondria and general cell tumor metabolism were noted at higher concentrations, whereas phosphorylation of HSP27, p38, ERK1/2, FAK, and p70S6K was induced substantially already at lower exposure levels. Regarding the antiproliferative activity in tumor cells, a clear preference for iodido over chlorido secondary ligands was noted, as well as effects of the substituents of the NHC ligand.

Heteropentanuclear Oxalato-Bridged nd-4f (n=4, 5) Metal Complexes with NO Ligand: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, Aqueous Stability and Antiproliferative Activity

A series of heteropentanuclear oxalate-bridged Ru(NO)-Ln (4d–4f) metal complexes of the general formula (nBu₄N)₅[Ln{RuCl₃(μ-ox)(NO)}₄], where Ln=Y (2), Gd (3), Tb (4), Dy (5) and ox=oxalate anion, were obtained by treatment of (nBu₄N)₂[RuCl₃(ox)(NO)] (1) with the respective lanthanide salt in 4:1 molar ratio. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry, while 1, 2, and 5 were in addition analyzed by X-ray crystallography, 1 by Ru K-edge XAS and 1 and 2 by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction showed that in 2 and 5 four complex anions [RuCl₃(ox)(NO)]²⁻ are coordinated to Y^III and Dy^III, respectively, with formation of [Ln{RuCl₃(μ-ox)(NO)}₄]⁵⁻ (Ln=Y, Dy). While Y^III is eight-coordinate in 2, Dy^III is nine-coordinate in 5, with an additional coordination of an EtOH molecule. The negative charge is counterbalanced by five nBu₄N⁺ ions present in the crystal structure. The stability of complexes 2 and 5 in aqueous medium was monitored by UV/Vis spectroscopy. The antiproliferative activity of ruthenium-lanthanide complexes 2–5 were assayed in two human cancer cell lines (HeLa and A549) and in a noncancerous cell line (MRC-5) and compared with those obtained for the previously reported Os(NO)-Ln (5d–4f) analogues (nBu₄N)₅[Ln{OsCl₃(ox)(NO)}₄] (Ln=Y (6), Gd (7), Tb (8), Dy (9)). Complexes 2–5 were found to be slightly more active than 1 in inhibiting the proliferation of HeLa and A549 cells, and significantly more cytotoxic than 5d–4f metal complexes 6–9 in terms of IC₅₀ values. The highest antiproliferative activity with IC₅₀ values of 20.0 and 22.4 μM was found for 4 in HeLa and A549 cell lines, respectively. These cytotoxicity results are in accord with the presented ICP-MS data, indicating five- to eightfold greater accumulation of ruthenium versus osmium in human A549 cancer cells.

Target profiling of an antimetastatic RAPTA agent by chemical proteomics: relevance to the mode of action

The RAPTA pharmacophore was linked to beads to identify its biomolecular targets in cancer cells.

The clinical development of anticancer metallodrugs is often hindered by the elusive nature of their molecular targets. To identify the molecular targets of an antimetastatic ruthenium organometallic complex based on 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (RAPTA), we employed a chemical proteomic approach. The approach combines the design of an affinity probe featuring the pharmacophore with mass-spectrometry-based analysis of interacting proteins found in cancer cell lysates. The comparison of data sets obtained for cell lysates from cancer cells before and after treatment with a competitive binder suggests that RAPTA interacts with a number of cancer-related proteins, which may be responsible for the antiangiogenic and antimetastatic activity of RAPTA complexes. Notably, the proteins identified include the cytokines midkine, pleiotrophin and fibroblast growth factor-binding protein 3. We also detected guanine nucleotide-binding protein-like 3 and FAM32A, which is in line with the hypothesis that the antiproliferative activity of RAPTA compounds is due to induction of a G₂/M arrest and histone proteins identified earlier as potential targets.

Protein ruthenation and DNA alkylation: chlorambucil-functionalized RAPTA complexes and their anticancer activity

The conjugation of chlorambucil to the RAPTA scaffold results in an anticancer active agent capable of cross-linking DNA and proteins.

Application of mass spectrometric techniques to delineate the modes-of-action of anticancer metallodrugs

Mass spectrometry (MS) has emerged as an important tool for studying anticancer metallodrugs in complex biological samples and for characterising their interactions with biomolecules and potential targets on a molecular level. The exact modes-of-action of these coordination compounds and especially of next generation drug candidates have not been fully elucidated. Due to the fact that DNA is considered a crucial target for platinum chemotherapeutics, metallodrug-DNA binding studies dominated the field for a long time. However, more recently, alternative targets were considered, including enzymes and proteins that may play a role in the overall pharmacological and toxicological profile of metallodrugs. This review focuses on MS-based techniques for studying anticancer metallodrugs in vivo, in vitro and in situ to delineate their modes-of-action.

Influence of the π-coordinated arene on the anticancer activity of ruthenium(II) carbohydrate organometallic complexes

The synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity of a series of Ru^II(arene) complexes with carbohydrate-derived phosphite ligands and various arene co-ligands is described. The arene ligand has a strong influence on the in vitro anticancer activity of this series of compounds, which correlates fairly well with cellular accumulation. The most lipophilic compound bearing a biphenyl moiety and a cyclohexylidene-protected carbohydrate is the most cytotoxic with unprecedented IC₅₀ values for the compound class in three human cancer cell lines. This compound shows reactivity to the DNA model nucleobase 9-ethylguanine, but does not alter the secondary structure of plasmid DNA, indicating that other biological targets are responsible for its cytotoxic effect.

Dicopper(II) and dizinc(II) complexes with nonsymmetric dinucleating ligands based on indolo[3,2-c]quinolines: synthesis, structure, cytotoxicity, and intracellular distribution

Dicopper(II) and dizinc(II) complexes [Cu2((MeOOC)L(COO))(CH3COO)2] (1) and [Zn2((MeOOC)L(COO))(CH3COO)2] (2) were synthesized by reaction of Cu(CH3COO)2·H2O and Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O with a new nonsymmetric dinucleating ligand (EtOOC)HL(COOEt) prepared by condensation of 6-hydrazinyl-11H-indolo[3,2-c]quinoline with diethyl-2,2'-((3-formyl-2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzyl)azanediyl)diacetate. The design and synthesis of this elaborate ligand was performed with the aim of increasing the aqueous solubility of indolo[3,2-c]quinolines, known as biologically active compounds, and investigating the antiproliferative activity in human cancer cell lines and the cellular distribution by exploring the intrinsic fluorescence of the indoloquinoline scaffold. The compounds have been comprehensively characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopic methods (IR, UV-vis, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy), ESI mass spectrometry, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and UV-vis complex formation studies (for 1) as well as by X-ray crystallography (1 and 2). The antiproliferative activity of (EtOOC)HL(COOEt), 1, and 2 was determined by the MTT assay in three human cancer cell lines, namely, A549 (nonsmall cell lung carcinoma), CH1 (ovarian carcinoma), and SW480 (colon adenocarcinoma), yielding IC50 values in the micromolar concentration range and showing dependence on the cell line. The effect of metal coordination on cytotoxicity of (EtOOC)HL(COOEt) is also discussed. The subcellular distribution of (EtOOC)HL(COOEt) and 2 was investigated by fluorescence microscopy, revealing similar localization for both compounds in cytoplasmic structures.

Bulky N(,N)-(di)alkylethane-1,2-diamineplatinum(II) compounds as precursors for generating unsymmetrically substituted platinum(IV) complexes

Investigations of the influence of bulky groups in the equatorial ligand sphere of platinum(IV) compounds on the complexes' stability and reaction pattern were performed. Four dihydroxidoplatinum(IV) complexes were reacted with anhydrides, cinnamoyl chloride, and n-propyl isocyanate and yielded the symmetric dicarboxylated products or, if steric hindrance was observed, unsymmetrically substituted monocarboxylated analogues. With the aim of raising the steric demand, the following ligands were chosen: N-cyclohexylethane-1,2-diamine, N,N-dimethylethane-1,2-diamine, N,N-diethylethane-1,2-diamine, and N,N-diisopropylethane-1,2-diamine. All of the novel complexes were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and reversed-phase HPLC; complexes B3, C3, C6, and D4 were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the cytotoxicities of 10 compounds toward the cisplatin-sensitive cell line CH1 and the intrinsically cisplatin-resistant cell lines A549 and SW480 were investigated, and IC50 values down to the nanomolar range were found. To aid in the interpretation of structure-activity relationships, log k(w) values as a measure for the lipophilicity were determined for all of the new complexes, and the rates of reduction of C1, C3, and C4 relative to satraplatin were determined by means of NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS.

Identification of the structural determinants for anticancer activity of a ruthenium arene peptide conjugate

Organometallic Ru(arene)-peptide bioconjugates with potent in vitro anticancer activity are rare. We have prepared a conjugate of a Ru(arene) complex with the neuropeptide [Leu(5)]-enkephalin. [Chlorido(η(6)-p-cymene)(5-oxo-κO-2-{(4-[(N-tyrosinyl-glycinyl-glycinyl-phenylalanyl-leucinyl-NH2)propanamido]-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)methyl}-4H-pyronato-κO)ruthenium(II)] (8) shows antiproliferative activity in human ovarian carcinoma cells with an IC50 value as low as 13 μM, whereas the peptide or the Ru moiety alone are hardly cytotoxic. The conjugation strategy for linking the Ru(cym) (cym=η(6)-p-cymene) moiety to the peptide involved N-terminal modification of an alkyne-[Leu(5)]-enkephalin with a 2-(azidomethyl)-5-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one linker, using Cu(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC), and subsequent metallation with the Ru(cym) moiety. The ruthenium-bioconjugate was characterized by high resolution top-down electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) with regard to peptide sequence, linker modification and metallation site. Notably, complete sequence coverage was obtained and the Ru(cym) moiety was confirmed to be coordinated to the pyronato linker. The ruthenium-bioconjugate was analyzed with respect to cytotoxicity-determining constituents, and through the bioconjugate models [{2-(azidomethyl)-5-oxo-κO-4H-pyronato-κO}chloride (η(6)-p-cymene)ruthenium(II)] (5) and [chlorido(η(6)-p-cymene){5-oxo-κO-2-([(4-(phenoxymethyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]methyl)-4H-pyronato-κO}ruthenium(II)] (6) the Ru(cym) fragment with a triazole-carrying pyronato ligand was identified as the minimal unit required to achieve in vitro anticancer activity.

Capillary zone electrophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry studies on the behavior of anticancer cis- and trans-[dihalidobis(2-propanone oxime)platinum(II)] complexes in aqueous solutions

Anticancer chemotherapeutics with new modes of action are in great demand to overcome adverse effects, resistance problems and a limited application range. Among other approaches, trans-configured analogs of the established chemotherapy drug cisplatin show promising results in biological model systems. Herein we report on comparative studies on the stability of cis- and trans-[dihalidobis(2-propanone oxime)platinum(II)] (halido=Cl(-), Br(-), I(-)) complexes in phosphate buffer, using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and CZE hyphenated to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CZE-ESI-MS). The used conditions simulate those in the cytoplasm, being of importance for the activation of platinum anticancer agents for their reaction with DNA, the ultimate target. The configuration of the Pt center, i.e., cis or trans, accounts for the differing degradation kinetics of the compounds and in addition a significant influence of the halido leaving group was observed, with in case of the cis complexes pseudo first order rate constants of 0.268, 0.191 and 0.142h(-1) for Br(-), Cl(-), and I(-), respectively. Degradation of the trans isomers was significantly faster compared to their cis-configured counterparts also leading to different products which were characterized by hyphenation of CZE to ESI-MS.

Is the reactivity of M(II)-arene complexes of 3-hydroxy-2(1H)-pyridones to biomolecules the anticancer activity determining parameter?

Hydroxypyr(id)ones are versatile ligands for the synthesis of organometallic anticancer agents, equipping them with fine-tunable pharmacological properties. Herein, we report on the preparation, mode of action, and in vitro anticancer activity of Ru(II)- and Os(II)-arene complexes with alkoxycarbonylmethyl-3-hydroxy-2-pyridone ligands. The hydrolysis and binding to amino acids proceed quickly, as characterized by NMR spectroscopy and ESI mass spectrometry. However, the reaction with amino acids causes cleavage of the pyridone ligands from the metal center because the amino acids act as multidentate ligands. A similar behavior was also observed during the reactions with the model proteins ubiquitin and cytochrome c, yielding mainly [protein + M(eta(6)-p-cymene)] adducts (M = Ru, Os). Notably the ligand cleavage of the Os derivative was significantly slower than of its Ru analogue, which could explain its higher activity in in vitro anticancer assays. Furthermore, the reaction of the compounds to 5'-GMP was characterized and coordination to the N7 of the guanine moiety was demonstrated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. CDK2/Cyclin A protein kinase inhibition studies revealed potent activity of the Ru and Os complexes.

Increasing designated driving with a program of prompts and incentives

Designated driving (DD) is a potentially viable but underutilized component of efforts to reduce driving while intoxicated. A reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of prompts and incentives in a bar on the frequency of DD. The results showed an approximate doubling of the number of designated drivers during the two intervention periods.

Effects of fetal sex and dexamethasone on preterm maternal serum concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone, estrone, estradiol, and estriol

The serum human chorionic gonadotropin concentration for the 43 female-bearing gestations was significantly higher (geometric mean 15,603 mIU/ml; 95% confidence interval 12,337 to 19,733) than that for 26 male-bearing pregnancies (geometric mean 8902 mIU/ml; 95% confidence interval 6288 to 12,596), p = 0.0087. The mean gestational age was 32 +/- 2.4 weeks (mean +/- SD). There was no significant difference between male- and female-bearing pregnancies for progesterone, cortisol, estrone, estradiol, estriol, or gestational age. In 19 placebo-treated pregnancies and 14 dexamethasone-treated pregnancies with a mean gestational age of 31.5 +/- 2.7 weeks, there was no significant change from the baseline value observed for either maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin level or maternal serum progesterone level at 42 hours after institution of treatment. In the dexamethasone-treated subjects the geometric mean was reduced to 20% of baseline for cortisol; 42% of baseline for estrone; 30% of baseline for estradiol; and 41% of baseline for estriol (all p less than 0.001).

Effects of dibutyryl cyclic AMP and gonadotropin-releasing hormone added prior to filter sterilization of the media and variation in oxygen partial pressure on output of human chorionic gonadotropin from term placental explants

The effect of 2 mM dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) and 10 and 100 micrograms/ml gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) added prior to filter sterilization and of varying oxygen partial pressure (5, 20, and 95% oxygen) were evaluated using explants from each of 4 placentas on each of 6 days of culture. There were significant differences between placentas on days 1 and 2 of culture (both p less than 0.025), and day 4 (p less than 0.05), but there were no effects of GnRH or varying oxygen partial pressure on output of human chorionic gonadotropin under the conditions evaluated.

Two direct radioimmunoassays for 17 beta-estradiol evaluated for use in monitoring in vitro fertilization

Two direct 125I radioimmunoassays for 17 beta-estradiol were evaluated by comparing results with those obtained by a comparison RIA involving extraction and chromatography (x) and with ultrasound parameters of ovarian activity. The correlation coefficients (R2) for the Immuchem Covalent-Coat Solid Phase 125I results (y1) and the Pantex Immuno-direct results (y2) with the comparison method results were 0.56 and 0.96, respectively, after log transformation of data (N = 42). Similar differences were observed in the correlations with the ultrasound parameters. We also evaluated the untransformed data by linear regression and obtained: y1 = 254 + 0. 410x (R2 = 0.65) and y2 = 48.2 + 0. 749x (R2 = 0.96). Between- and within-assay variations for a serum pool containing 17 beta-estradiol at 1278 pg/mL were respectively 9.0% and 9.4% for Immuchem , 3.3% and 6.7% for Pantex , and 7.3% and 9.4% for the comparison method; for the 267 pg/mL pool, these were 21.8% and 16.6% for Immuchem , 4.7% and 4.6% for Pantex , and 21.2% and 13.1% for the comparison method. Differences in the results obtained with the Pantex method and the comparison method were not clinically significant for monitoring superovulation for in vitro fertilization; the performance of the Immuchem method was less satisfactory.

Two direct radioimmunoassays for 17 beta-estradiol evaluated for use in monitoring in vitro fertilization

Two direct 125I radioimmunoassays for 17 beta-estradiol were evaluated by comparing results with those obtained by a comparison RIA involving extraction and chromatography (x) and with ultrasound parameters of ovarian activity. The correlation coefficients (R2) for the Immuchem Covalent-Coat Solid Phase 125I results (y1) and the Pantex Immuno-direct results (y2) with the comparison method results were 0.56 and 0.96, respectively, after log transformation of data (N = 42). Similar differences were observed in the correlations with the ultrasound parameters. We also evaluated the untransformed data by linear regression and obtained: y1 = 254 + 0. 410x (R2 = 0.65) and y2 = 48.2 + 0. 749x (R2 = 0.96). Between- and within-assay variations for a serum pool containing 17 beta-estradiol at 1278 pg/mL were respectively 9.0% and 9.4% for Immuchem , 3.3% and 6.7% for Pantex , and 7.3% and 9.4% for the comparison method; for the 267 pg/mL pool, these were 21.8% and 16.6% for Immuchem , 4.7% and 4.6% for Pantex , and 21.2% and 13.1% for the comparison method. Differences in the results obtained with the Pantex method and the comparison method were not clinically significant for monitoring superovulation for in vitro fertilization; the performance of the Immuchem method was less satisfactory.