1
|
Coelho RA, Almeida-Silva F, Figueiredo-Carvalho MHG, de Souza Rabello VB, de Souza GR, da Silva Lourenço MC, Rodrigues ML, Almeida-Paes R. Comparison of the antifungal activity of the pyrimidine analogs flucytosine and carmofur against human-pathogenic dematiaceous fungi. Med Mycol 2024:myae029. [PMID: 38533658 DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myae029] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) and pheohyphomycosis (PHM) are the most common implantation mycoses caused by dematiaceous fungi. In the past, flucytosine (5-FC) has been used to treat CBM, but development of resistance is common. Carmofur belongs to the same class as 5-FC and has in vitro inhibitory activity against the main agents of CBM and PHM. The aim of this study was to compare the action of these two pyrimidine analog drugs against CBM and PHM agents. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the selectivity index based on cytotoxicity tests of these two drugs against some agents of these mycoses were determined, with carmofur presenting a higher selectivity index than 5-FC. Carmofur demonstrated here synergistic interactions with itraconazole and amphotericin B against Exophiala heteromorpha, Fonsecaea pedrosoi, Fonsecaea monophora and Fonsecaea nubica strains. Additionally, carmofur plus itraconazole demonstrated here synergism against a Phialophora verrucosa strain. To evaluate the development of carmofur resistance, passages in culture medium containing subinhibitory concentrations of this pyrimidine analog were carried out, followed by in vitro susceptibility tests. Exophiala dermatitidis quickly developed resistance, whereas F. pedrosoi took seven passages in carmofur-supplemented medium to develop resistance. Moreover, resistance was permanent in E. dermatitidis but transient in F. pedrosoi. Hence, carmofur has exhibited certain advantages, albeit accompanied by limitations such as the development of resistance, which was expected as with 5-FC. This underscores its therapeutic potential in combination with other drugs, emphasizing the need for a meticulous evaluation of its application in the fight against dematiaceous fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rowena Alves Coelho
- Mycology Laboratory, National Institute of Infectious Diseases Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fernando Almeida-Silva
- Mycology Laboratory, National Institute of Infectious Diseases Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Gabriela Rodrigues de Souza
- RPT 11B Bioassay Platform, National Institute of Infectious Diseases Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Marcio L Rodrigues
- Carlos Chagas Institute, Fiocruz, Paraná, Brazil
- Institute of Microbiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Almeida-Paes
- Mycology Laboratory, National Institute of Infectious Diseases Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Islam MM, Mirza SP. Versatile use of Carmofur: A comprehensive review of its chemistry and pharmacology. Drug Dev Res 2022; 83:1505-1518. [PMID: 36031762 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21984] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Carmofur, 1-hexylcarbamoyl-5-fluorouracil (HCFU) is an antineoplastic drug, which has been in clinics in Japan since 1981 for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Subsequently, it was also introduced in China, Korea, and Finland. Besides colorectal cancer, it has also shown antitumor activity in other cancers such as breast, head and neck, pancreatic, gastrointestinal, and solid brain tumors. A prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), carmofur has shown better gastrointestinal stability and superior antiproliferative activity compared to its active counterpart 5-FU. Recently, carmofur has gained attention as an acid ceramidase inhibitor and as a potential lead compound against several noncancerous diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019, Krabbe disease, acute lung injury, Parkinson's disease, dementia, childhood ependymoma etc. Carmofur has also been reported to have antifungal, and antimicrobial properties. Nevertheless, no comprehensive review is available on this drug. Herein, we summarized the chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacology of carmofur based on the literature published between January 1976 and March 2022 as identified from PubMed and Google Scholar search engines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mohiminul Islam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Shama P Mirza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ma C, Hu Y, Townsend JA, Lagarias PI, Marty MT, Kolocouris A, Wang J. Ebselen, disulfiram, carmofur, PX-12, tideglusib, and shikonin are non-specific promiscuous SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. bioRxiv 2020:2020.09.15.299164. [PMID: 32995786 PMCID: PMC7523112 DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.15.299164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There is an urgent need for vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouraging progress has been made in developing antivirals targeting SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19. Among the drug targets being investigated, the viral main protease (M pro ) is one of the most extensively studied drug targets. M pro is a cysteine protease that hydrolyzes the viral polyprotein at more than 11 sites and it is highly conserved among coronaviruses. In addition, M pro has a unique substrate preference for glutamine in the P1 position. Taken together, it appears that M pro inhibitors can achieve both broad-spectrum antiviral activity and a high selectivity index. Structurally diverse compounds have been reported as M pro inhibitors, with several of which also showed antiviral activity in cell culture. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of six previously reported M pro inhibitors, ebselen, disulfiram, tideglusib, carmofur, shikonin, and PX-12 using a consortium of techniques including FRET-based enzymatic assay, thermal shift assay, native mass spectrometry, cellular antiviral assays, and molecular dynamics simulations. Collectively, the results showed that the inhibition of M pro by these six compounds is non-specific and the inhibition is abolished or greatly reduced with the addition of reducing reagent DTT. In the absence of DTT, these six compounds not only inhibit M pro , but also a panel of viral cysteine proteases including SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease, the 2A pro and 3C pro from enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) and EV-D68. However, none of the compounds inhibits the viral replication of EV-A71 or EV-D68, suggesting that the enzymatic inhibition potency IC 50 values obtained in the absence of DTT cannot be used to faithfully predict their cellular antiviral activity. Overall, we provide compelling evidence suggesting that ebselen, disulfiram, tideglusib, carmofur, shikonin, and PX-12 are non-specific SARS-CoV-2 M pro inhibitors, and urge the scientific community to be stringent with hit validation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunlong Ma
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Yanmei Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Julia Alma Townsend
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Panagiotis I. Lagarias
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Michael Thomas Marty
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Antonios Kolocouris
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wu K, Xiu Y, Zhou P, Qiu Y, Li Y. A New Use for an Old Drug: Carmofur Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Acute Lung Injury via Inhibition of FAAH and NAAA Activities. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:818. [PMID: 31379583 PMCID: PMC6659393 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [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: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute lung injury (ALI), characterized by a severe inflammatory process, is a complex syndrome that can lead to multisystem organ failure. Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA) are two potential therapeutic targets for inflammation-related diseases. Herein, we identified carmofur, a 5-fluorouracil-releasing drug and clinically used as a chemotherapeutic agent, as a dual FAAH and NAAA inhibitor. In Raw264.7 macrophages, carmofur effectively reduced the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors, including IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS, and TNF-α, and down-regulated signaling proteins of the nuclear transcription factor κB (NF-κB) pathway. Furthermore, carmofur significantly ameliorated the inflammatory responses and promoted resolution of pulmonary injury in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mice. The pharmacological effects of carmofur were partially blocked by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) antagonist MK886 and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) antagonist SR144528, indicating that carmofur attenuated LPS-induced ALI in a PPARα- and CB2-dependent mechanism. Our study suggested that carmofur might be a novel therapeutic agent for ALI, and drug repurposing may provide us effective therapeutic strategies for ALI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kangni Wu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yanghui Xiu
- Eye Institute & Affiliated Xiamen Eye Center, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Pan Zhou
- Eye Institute & Affiliated Xiamen Eye Center, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.,Institute of Hematology, Medical College of Xiamem University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yan Qiu
- Eye Institute & Affiliated Xiamen Eye Center, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.,Institute of Hematology, Medical College of Xiamem University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yuhang Li
- Xiamen Institute of Rare-earth Materials, Haixi Institutes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fujian, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fujian, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nguyen HS, Shabani S, Awad AJ, Kaushal M, Doan N. Molecular Markers of Therapy-Resistant Glioblastoma and Potential Strategy to Combat Resistance. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19061765. [PMID: 29899215 PMCID: PMC6032212 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19061765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the central nervous system. With its overall dismal prognosis (the median survival is 14 months), GBMs demonstrate a resounding resilience against all current treatment modalities. The absence of a major progress in the treatment of GBM maybe a result of our poor understanding of both GBM tumor biology and the mechanisms underlying the acquirement of treatment resistance in recurrent GBMs. A comprehensive understanding of these markers is mandatory for the development of treatments against therapy-resistant GBMs. This review also provides an overview of a novel marker called acid ceramidase and its implication in the development of radioresistant GBMs. Multiple signaling pathways were found altered in radioresistant GBMs. Given these global alterations of multiple signaling pathways found in radioresistant GBMs, an effective treatment for radioresistant GBMs may require a cocktail containing multiple agents targeting multiple cancer-inducing pathways in order to have a chance to make a substantial impact on improving the overall GBM survival.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ha S Nguyen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
- Faculty of Neurosurgery, California Institute of Neuroscience, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360, USA.
| | - Saman Shabani
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
| | - Ahmed J Awad
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus 11941, Palestine.
| | - Mayank Kaushal
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
| | - Ninh Doan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Doan NB, Nguyen HS, Alhajala HS, Jaber B, Al-Gizawiy MM, Ahn EYE, Mueller WM, Chitambar CR, Mirza SP, Schmainda KM. Identification of radiation responsive genes and transcriptome profiling via complete RNA sequencing in a stable radioresistant U87 glioblastoma model. Oncotarget 2018; 9:23532-23542. [PMID: 29805753 PMCID: PMC5955095 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [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: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The absence of major progress in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) is partly attributable to our poor understanding of both GBM tumor biology and the acquirement of treatment resistance in recurrent GBMs. Recurrent GBMs are characterized by their resistance to radiation. In this study, we used an established stable U87 radioresistant GBM model and total RNA sequencing to shed light on global mRNA expression changes following irradiation. We identified many genes, the expressions of which were altered in our radioresistant GBM model, that have never before been reported to be associated with the development of radioresistant GBM and should be concertedly further investigated to understand their roles in radioresistance. These genes were enriched in various biological processes such as inflammatory response, cell migration, positive regulation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, apoptosis, positive regulation of T-cell migration, positive regulation of macrophage chemotaxis, T-cell antigen processing and presentation, and microglial cell activation involved in immune response genes. These findings furnish crucial information for elucidating the molecular mechanisms associated with radioresistance in GBM. Therapeutically, with the global alterations of multiple biological pathways observed in irradiated GBM cells, an effective GBM therapy may require a cocktail carrying multiple agents targeting multiple implicated pathways in order to have a chance at making a substantial impact on improving the overall GBM survival.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ninh B Doan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Ha S Nguyen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Hisham S Alhajala
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Basem Jaber
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Damascus, Damascus, Syria
| | - Mona M Al-Gizawiy
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Wade M Mueller
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Christopher R Chitambar
- Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Shama P Mirza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Kathleen M Schmainda
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.,Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Nguyen HS, Awad AJ, Shabani S, Doan N. Molecular Targeting of Acid Ceramidase in Glioblastoma: A Review of Its Role, Potential Treatment, and Challenges. Pharmaceutics 2018; 10:E45. [PMID: 29642535 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics10020045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common, malignant primary tumor of the central nervous system. The average prognosis for life expectancy after diagnosis, with the triad of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, is less than 1.5 years. Chemotherapy treatment is mostly limited to temozolomide. In this paper, the authors review an emerging, novel drug called acid ceramidase, which targets glioblastoma. Its role in cancer treatment in general, and more specifically, in the treatment of glioblastoma, are discussed. In addition, the authors provide insights on acid ceramidase as a potential druggable target for glioblastoma.
Collapse
|
8
|
Doan NB, Nguyen HS, Montoure A, Al-Gizawiy MM, Mueller WM, Kurpad S, Rand SD, Connelly JM, Chitambar CR, Schmainda KM, Mirza SP. Acid ceramidase is a novel drug target for pediatric brain tumors. Oncotarget 2018; 8:24753-24761. [PMID: 28445970 PMCID: PMC5421885 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.15800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and are also a leading culprit of cancer-related fatalities in children. Pediatric brain tumors remain hard to treat. In this study, we demonstrated that medulloblastoma, pediatric glioblastoma, and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors express significant levels of acid ceramidase, where levels are highest in the radioresistant tumors, suggesting that acid ceramidase may confer radioresistance. More importantly, we also showed that acid ceramidase inhibitors are highly effective at targeting these pediatric brain tumors with low IC50 values (4.6–50 μM). This data suggests acid ceramidase as a novel drug target for adjuvant pediatric brain tumor therapies. Of these acid ceramidase inhibitors, carmofur has seen clinical use in Japan since 1981 for colorectal cancers and is a promising drug to undergo further animal studies and subsequently a clinical trial as a treatment for pediatric patients with brain tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ninh B Doan
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Ha S Nguyen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Andrew Montoure
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Mona M Al-Gizawiy
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Wade M Mueller
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Shekar Kurpad
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Scott D Rand
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Jennifer M Connelly
- Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | | | - Kathleen M Schmainda
- Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Shama P Mirza
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53211, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Doan NB, Alhajala H, Al-Gizawiy MM, Mueller WM, Rand SD, Connelly JM, Cochran EJ, Chitambar CR, Clark P, Kuo J, Schmainda KM, Mirza SP. Acid ceramidase and its inhibitors: a de novo drug target and a new class of drugs for killing glioblastoma cancer stem cells with high efficiency. Oncotarget 2017; 8:112662-112674. [PMID: 29348854 PMCID: PMC5762539 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [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: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma remains the most common, malignant primary cancer of the central nervous system with a low life expectancy and an overall survival of less than 1.5 years. The treatment options are limited and there is no cure. Moreover, almost all patients develop recurrent tumors, which typically are more aggressive. Therapeutically resistant glioblastoma or glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) are hypothesized to cause this inevitable recurrence. Identifying prognostic biomarkers of glioblastoma will potentially advance knowledge about glioblastoma tumorigenesis and enable discovery of more effective therapies. Proteomic analysis of more than 600 glioblastoma-specific proteins revealed, for the first time, that expression of acid ceramidase (ASAH1) is associated with poor glioblastoma survival. CD133+ GSCs express significantly higher ASAH1 compared to CD133- GSCs and serum-cultured glioblastoma cell lines, such as U87MG. These findings implicate ASAH1 as a plausible independent prognostic marker, providing a target for a therapy tailored toward GSCs. We further demonstrate that ASAH1 inhibition increases cellular ceramide level and induces apoptosis. Strikingly, U87MG cells, and three different patient-derived glioblastoma stem-like cancer cell lines were efficiently killed, through apoptosis, by three different known ASAH1 inhibitors with IC50's ranging from 11–104 μM. In comparison, the standard glioblastoma chemotherapy agent, temozolomide, had minimal GSC-targeted effects at comparable or even higher concentrations (IC50 > 750 μM against GSCs). ASAH1 is identified as a de novo glioblastoma drug target, and ASAH1 inhibitors, such as carmofur, are shown to be highly effective and to specifically target glioblastoma GSCs. Carmofur is an ASAH1 inhibitor that crosses the blood-brain barrier, a major bottleneck in glioblastoma treatment. It has been approved in Japan since 1981 for colorectal cancer therapy. Therefore, it is poised for repurposing and translation to glioblastoma clinical trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ninh B Doan
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Hisham Alhajala
- Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Mona M Al-Gizawiy
- Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Wade M Mueller
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Scott D Rand
- Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher R Chitambar
- Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Paul Clark
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53792, USA
| | - John Kuo
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53792, USA
| | - Kathleen M Schmainda
- Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA
| | - Shama P Mirza
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53211, USA
| |
Collapse
|