Inken Flörkemeier1, Tamara N Steinhauer2, Nina Hedemann1, Magnus Ölander3, Per Artursson3, Bernd Clement2, Dirk O Bauerschlag4. 1. Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany. 2. Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Pharmaceutical Institute, Kiel, Germany. 3. Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. 4. Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer (OvCa) constitutes a rare and highly aggressive malignancy and is one of the most lethal of all gynaecologic neoplasms. Due to chemotherapy resistance and treatment limitations because of side effects, OvCa is still not sufficiently treatable. Hence, new drugs for OvCa therapy such as P8-D6 with promising antitumour properties have a high clinical need. The benzo[c]phenanthridine P8-D6 is an effective inductor of apoptosis by acting as a dual topoisomerase I/II inhibitor. METHODS: In the present study, the effectiveness of P8-D6 on OvCa was investigated in vitro. In various OvCa cell lines and ex vivo primary cells, the apoptosis induction compared with standard therapeutic agents was determined in two-dimensional monolayers. Expanded by three-dimensional and co-culture, the P8-D6 treated cells were examined for changes in cytotoxicity, apoptosis rate and membrane integrity via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Likewise, the effects of P8-D6 on non-cancer human ovarian surface epithelial cells and primary human hepatocytes were determined. RESULTS: This study shows a significant P8-D6-induced increase in apoptosis and cytotoxicity in OvCa cells which surpasses the efficacy of well-established drugs like cisplatin or the topoisomerase inhibitors etoposide and topotecan. Non-cancer cells were affected only slightly by P8-D6. Moreover, no hepatotoxic effect in in vitro studies was detected. CONCLUSION: P8-D6 is a strong and rapid inductor of apoptosis and might be a novel treatment option for OvCa therapy.
BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer (OvCa) constitutes a rare and highly aggressive malignancy and is one of the most lethal of all gynaecologic neoplasms. Due to chemotherapy resistance and treatment limitations because of side effects, OvCa is still not sufficiently treatable. Hence, new drugs for OvCa therapy such as P8-D6 with promising antitumour properties have a high clinical need. The benzo[c]phenanthridine P8-D6 is an effective inductor of apoptosis by acting as a dual topoisomerase I/II inhibitor. METHODS: In the present study, the effectiveness of P8-D6 on OvCa was investigated in vitro. In various OvCa cell lines and ex vivo primary cells, the apoptosis induction compared with standard therapeutic agents was determined in two-dimensional monolayers. Expanded by three-dimensional and co-culture, the P8-D6 treated cells were examined for changes in cytotoxicity, apoptosis rate and membrane integrity via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Likewise, the effects of P8-D6 on non-cancer human ovarian surface epithelial cells and primary human hepatocytes were determined. RESULTS: This study shows a significant P8-D6-induced increase in apoptosis and cytotoxicity in OvCa cells which surpasses the efficacy of well-established drugs like cisplatin or the topoisomerase inhibitors etoposide and topotecan. Non-cancer cells were affected only slightly by P8-D6. Moreover, no hepatotoxic effect in in vitro studies was detected. CONCLUSION: P8-D6 is a strong and rapid inductor of apoptosis and might be a novel treatment option for OvCa therapy.
Ovarian cancer (OvCa) is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths
among women and the most lethal gynaecological malignancy in the developed world.
The frequent diagnosis in advanced stages and insufficient treatment options
due to chemotherapy resistance and side effects lead to a poor prognosis. First line
therapy usually consists of surgical cytoreduction followed by platinum/taxane-based
combination chemotherapy, but most patients relapse with drug-resistance in the
course of the disease.
Previous studies demonstrated a benefit in second line therapy with
topoisomerase inhibitors like liposomal doxorubicin or topotecan. However, response
duration was commonly short.
Consequently, an important aim is to reduce mortality by improved new
therapeutic options.P8-D6 acts as a dual topoisomerase poison by stabilizing the covalent
Topo-DNA-intermediate of both topoisomerase (Topo) enzymes I and II.
Topoisomerases regulate torsional stress in DNA to enable essential genome
functions (e.g. transcription, replication or recombination). Topo I causes single
strand breaks while Topo II with its isoforms α and β is responsible for the
double-strand break (Figure
1).[5,6]
Such topoisomerase poisoning leads to cell death by inducing apoptosis. The
aza-analogous benzo[c]phenanthridine P8-D6 was synthesized in an
optimized four-step process with advantageous physicochemical and cytotoxic properties.
In the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-60 DTP Human Tumor Cell Line screening
49 nM of P8-D6 results in an average growth inhibition of 50%
(GI50).[7,8]
The result for OvCa cell lines were 0.12 µM compared with cisplatin with 15.25 µM or
topotecan with 0.23 µM, respectively.
Figure 1.
Chemical structure and mechanism of P8-D6 action. P8-D6 acts as a dual
topoisomerase inhibitor by stabilizing the cleavable Topo–DNA complex,
thereby inducing apoptosis. The effectiveness and the broad activity
spectrum of P8-D6 were examined for the first time in a 60-tumour cell line
panel by the NCI. In the evaluation, P8-D6 reached an average
∑GI50 (60) value of 49 nM in multiple tumour cell lines.
For the ovarian carcinoma cells tested, this GI50 average
was 0.12 µM. For comparison, other active drugs are listed. ∑GI50
(60): average growth inhibition 50% in 60 cancer cell lines (different
cancer types), ∑GI50 (OvCa): average growth inhibition 50% in
OvCa cell lines.
Chemical structure and mechanism of P8-D6 action. P8-D6 acts as a dual
topoisomerase inhibitor by stabilizing the cleavable Topo–DNA complex,
thereby inducing apoptosis. The effectiveness and the broad activity
spectrum of P8-D6 were examined for the first time in a 60-tumour cell line
panel by the NCI. In the evaluation, P8-D6 reached an average
∑GI50 (60) value of 49 nM in multiple tumour cell lines.
For the ovarian carcinoma cells tested, this GI50 average
was 0.12 µM. For comparison, other active drugs are listed. ∑GI50
(60): average growth inhibition 50% in 60 cancer cell lines (different
cancer types), ∑GI50 (OvCa): average growth inhibition 50% in
OvCa cell lines.Cell-based assays are an important pillar in drug development. In addition to
traditional two-dimensional (2D) monolayer, co-culture and three-dimensional (3D)
cell culture have recently gained importance because of greater comparability with
in vivo set ups.
Therefore, efficacy studies of P8-D6 were performed on different OvCa cell
lines and patient-derived primary cells, compared with single drugs and
combinational drug therapy.[10-12]Preclinical cancer drug development addressed several topics, including target
achievement, induction of apoptosis in cancer cells and toxicity in normal
cells.
Methods
Materials
P8-D6 was synthesized as recently described
and solved in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Topotecan, etoposide,
cisplatin and doxorubicin were obtained from the UKSH dispensary.
In vitro experiments
Cell preparation and culture. Human OvCa
cell lines A2780, BG-1, Igrov-1, OvCar8, SKOV-3 and fibroblasts Detroit 551 were
maintained in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS),
60 IU(µg)/ml penicillin–streptomycin. SKOV-3luc (firefly luciferase gene) were
grown in DMEM (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium), supplemented with 10% FBS,
800 μg/ml neomycin. Primary OvCa cells were isolated from advanced stage OvCa
patients during surgery at first diagnosis (UKSH, Campus Kiel). The tumour cells
were extracted from tumour tissue and ascites as described previously.[13,14] Human
ovarian surface epithelial cells (HOSE) (Innoport) were cultivated in OSE medium
containing 1% OEpiCGS, 100 IU(µg)/ml penicillin–streptomycin. Primary human
hepatocytes were isolated from liver tissue under surgery (Uppsala University
Hospital), isolated and cultured as described previously.
Cells were grown at 37ºC, 5% CO2 and short tandem repeat profiling
and mycoplasma contamination by MycoAlert™ (Lonza) were checked.Informed consent was obtained from all donors, in agreement with the approval
from the Institutional Review Board of the UKSH, Campus Kiel (AZ: D578/20) and
the Uppsala Regional Ethical Review Board (Ethical Approval 2009/028).Western blot. Cells were harvested, protein contents determined
and SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis was carried out as described previously.
Membranes were incubated with primary antibodies (anti-TopoI 1:500 (Santa
Cruz#sc-271285), anti-TopoIIα/β 1:10000 (Abcam#ab109524), anti-HSP 90 1:10000
(Santa Cruz#sc-13119)) and HRP-labelled anti-mouse IgG 1:2000 (Santa
Cruz#sc-516102) or HRP-labelled goat anti-rabbit IgG 1:3000
(Elabscience#E-AB-1003). Chemiluminescence was visualized using ECL Plus Western
Blotting Detection System and ChemoStar ECL and Fluorescence Imager (Intas).Fluorescence imaging. Due to its chemical structure, P8-D6 has
fluorescent properties (462Ex/530Em). In all, 10,000
cells/well were seeded in glass-bottomed 4-well chamber slides and treated with
10 µM P8-D6 or PBS for 30 min, washed with PBS and fixed with acetone (10 min at
room temperature). Samples were stained by CellTracker™ Deep Red Dye (5 µM at
37ºC for 15 min) and 4′,6-diamidin-2-phenylindol (DAPI) (0.5 µg/ml)
(Vectashield). Fluorescence imaging was performed using DAPI
(350EX/470Em), FITC
(490Ex/525Em) and Cy5 (649Ex/670Em)
filters. Microscope Axioplan 2 (Carl Zeiss Microscopy), Isis Version 5.8.8.
(MetaSystems).The 2D viability and apoptosis assay. In all, 10,000 cells/well
were seeded in a 96-well plate (Corning #3903) and treated for 48 h. The
measurement using ApoLive-Glo™ Multiplex Assay (Promega #G6410) was performed as
described in the instruction (TM325) with a microplate reader (Infinite 200,
Tecan). Relative caspase activity calculation: caspase activity divided by the
viability (normalized to control). With viability data, dose–response curves
were plotted and inhibitory concentration 50%(IC50) values were
calculated (GraphPad).Flow cytometric analysis. Cells were seeded in 6-well plates and
treated for 48 h. Cells were harvested and stained as described previously.The 3D cytotoxicity, viability and apoptosis assay: A2780
(200/well), SKOV-3 (8000/well), OvCar8 (1000/well) and BG-1 (450/well) cells
were seeded into a 96-well Ultra-Low Attachment (ULA) plate (Corning #4520) and
grown for 96 h. Then, spheroids were treated for 48 h. Simultaneously, CellTox™
Green assay (Promega #G8731) was added and detected
(485Ex/520Em) 24 and 48 h after treatment using
NYONE® (SYNENTEC). Filters: BFEx/GreenEm
(530/43 nm); BlueEx (475/28 nm)/GreenEm (530/43 nm).
Subsequently, viability and apoptosis were determined by RealTime-Glo™
(460Em) (Promega #G9711) and Caspase-Glo 3/7 (565Em)
(Promega # G8090) using microplate reader (Infinite 200, Tecan). The measurement
was performed according to the instructions. Relative caspase activity: caspase
activity divided by the viability (normalized to control). For live–dead
staining, cells were grown and treated as described above. Then, 80% of the
medium was removed and replaced with propidium iodide (PI) (10 µg/ml),
calcein-AM (1 mM) and hoechst 33342 (0.001%) in medium for 3 h and imaged by
NYONE® (SYNENTEC). Filters: BFEx/GreenEm
(530/43 nm); hoechst 33342: UVEx
(377/50 nm)/BlueEm(452/45 nm); calcein-AM: BlueEx
(475/28 nm)/GreenEm (530/43 nm); PI: LimeEx(562/40
nm)/RedEm (628/32 nm).Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Spheroids were grown as
described above, treated with 1 µM P8-D6 and PBS for 48 h, and fixed with 2.5%
glutaraldehyde (1 h room temperature) and then 1% osmium tetroxide (1.5 h room
temperature). Spheroids were dehydrated with ethanol (25%, 50%, 75%, 96%, 100%)
and air dried using hexamethyldisilazane on charcoal stubs overnight. Then,
spheroids were coated with gold and measured with SEM (Phenom XL).Co-culture. For co-culture, 40,000 Detroit 551 fibroblasts were
seeded into 24-well plates, and 40,000 A2780 were cultured onto inserts
(ThinCert™ translucent 0.4 µm). Cells were treated for 48 h. Cells were
harvested and centrifuged (10 min, 250 g). Cell pellets were resuspended in
25 µl medium. Viability and apoptosis were measured using ApoLive-Glo™ Multiplex
Assay.Hepatotoxicity. Oxidative stress of hepatocytes caused by 48 h
treatment was analysed via dihydroethidium fluorescence. The cell culture
protocol was previously described.
Apoptosis was analysed using ApoLive-Glo™ Multiplex Assay.Statistical analysis. Statistical tests were performed using
GraphPad Prism9 (GraphPad). Gaussian distribution was tested by Shapiro–Wilk
normality test. Data of multiple groups were checked with one-way analysis of
variance (ANOVA) for statistical significance. Statistically significant
differences were assumed at p values < 0.05 (*) according to
Tukey’s multiple comparison and Dunn’s method.
Results
Previous studies showed that P8-D6 functions as dual
topoisomerase inhibitor.[4,7]
However, the effectiveness is highly dependent on reaching its nuclear target
structure – topoisomerase I/II. In addition to colon cancer cells,
we checked the location of P8-D6 and Topo I and II expression in OvCa. Using
fluorescent microscopy, P8-D6 was identified in the nucleus (Additional file 1A and B in the Supplemental material). In addition,
western blot provided evidence that all cells also express sufficient Topo I and
Topo II (Additional file 1C in the Supplemental material).
P8-D6 is highly effective in OvCa 2D monolayers
The main aim of this study was to prove efficacy of P8-D6 in
OvCa. Therefore, OvCa cell lines (A2780, Igrov-1, BG-1, OvCar8, SKOV-3,
SKOV-3luc) were treated with P8-D6, and compared with topotecan, etoposide and
cisplatin. Initially, the viability of OvCa cells after 48 h treatment was
measured using an enzymatic assay and IC50-values were determined.
P8-D6 exhibits a four times lower IC50-value and is, therefore,
significantly more effective than the standard chemotherapeutics (Figure 2(a) and (h); Additional file 2A in the Supplemental material). A
significantly higher increase of apoptosis after 48 h treatment with P8-D6
compared with its standard therapeutic drugs could be observed in all tested
OvCa cell lines by using ApoLive-Glo™ Multiplex Assay (Figure 2(b), Additional file 2B–F in the Supplemental material) and flow
cytometric analyses (Figure
2(d) and (e); Additional file 3B in the Supplemental material).
Figure 2.
Antitumour responses in OvCa 2D monolayers. A2780 (cell line) and UF-168T
(primary cells) were treated with different concentrations of P8-D6,
topotecan, etoposide, cisplatin and negative control (PBS) for 48 h.
Subsequently, the viability and caspase activity were determined. (a)
The IC50 values of each cytostatic drug were calculated by
using the viability data. (b) The apoptosis is represented as relative
caspase activity. (c) To compare the combinatorial apoptotic effect of
topotecan (Topo I Inhibitor) and etoposide (Topo II Inhibitor) with
P8-D6, a dual topoisomerase inhibitor was performed in A2780. (d) and
(e) Flow cytometric analysis of pro-apoptotic effects with Annexin V-PE
(An V) and 7AAD staining (n = 6). Representative flow
cytometry dot plots of treated and stained A2780 cells were done. The
mean distribution of viable (An V/7AAD-negative), early apoptotic (An
V-positive, 7AAD-negative), late apoptotic/necrotic (An V/7AAD-positive)
or necrotic (An V-negative, 7AAD-positive) tumour cells after treatment
were calculated (d). (f) For primary OvCa cells (UF-168T) viability and
apoptosis were measured. (g) In addition, the anti-proliferative effect
after 24-h treatment was evaluated by microscopy. Scale bars, 50 µm. (h)
Heat map of the IC50 values using the viability of all tested
OvCa cells. Data are means + SD (standard deviation)
one-way ANOVA; *p < 0.05,
**p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001.
Antitumour responses in OvCa 2D monolayers. A2780 (cell line) and UF-168T
(primary cells) were treated with different concentrations of P8-D6,
topotecan, etoposide, cisplatin and negative control (PBS) for 48 h.
Subsequently, the viability and caspase activity were determined. (a)
The IC50 values of each cytostatic drug were calculated by
using the viability data. (b) The apoptosis is represented as relative
caspase activity. (c) To compare the combinatorial apoptotic effect of
topotecan (Topo I Inhibitor) and etoposide (Topo II Inhibitor) with
P8-D6, a dual topoisomerase inhibitor was performed in A2780. (d) and
(e) Flow cytometric analysis of pro-apoptotic effects with Annexin V-PE
(An V) and 7AAD staining (n = 6). Representative flow
cytometry dot plots of treated and stained A2780 cells were done. The
mean distribution of viable (An V/7AAD-negative), early apoptotic (An
V-positive, 7AAD-negative), late apoptotic/necrotic (An V/7AAD-positive)
or necrotic (An V-negative, 7AAD-positive) tumour cells after treatment
were calculated (d). (f) For primary OvCa cells (UF-168T) viability and
apoptosis were measured. (g) In addition, the anti-proliferative effect
after 24-h treatment was evaluated by microscopy. Scale bars, 50 µm. (h)
Heat map of the IC50 values using the viability of all tested
OvCa cells. Data are means + SD (standard deviation)
one-way ANOVA; *p < 0.05,
**p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001.Since P8-D6 is a dual topoisomerase inhibitor, but the reference substances
primarily inhibit one of the enzymes only, a combination of a Topo I (topotecan)
and a Topo II (etoposide) inhibitor was analysed. Compared with this
combination, P8-D6 shows a significantly higher rate of apoptosis (Figure 2(c); Additional file 3A in the Supplemental material). To validate
the pronounced induction of apoptosis and anti-proliferative effect of P8-D6 in
primary cells, we used ex vivo patient-derived cells from
tumour tissue and ascites in a translational aspect. A significantly higher rate
of anti-proliferative and apoptotic effect was observed in primary cells by
P8-D6 compared with comparative substances (Figure 2(f) and (g); Additional file 2G and H in the Supplemental material). Altogether, we generated
results of a plurality of different cells (established and primary cells) to
emphasize the durable and robust effect of P8-D6 (Figure 2(h)).
P8-D6 induce strong effects in 3D target tumour and co-culture model
The 3D cell cultures are regarded to bridge the gap from 2D
to in vivo models, since cell–cell interaction is considerable
for the efficacy of a substance. The 3D spheroids mimic the physiological
behaviour of solid tumours more closely.[10,11] Spheroids were generated
in ULA plates for 96 h and subsequently treated with P8-D6 or topotecan. The
OvCa spheroids (A2780, SKOV-3, BG-1, OvCar8) showed a decrease in growth
behaviour and stability after P8-D6 treatment (Figure 3(a); Additional file 4A–C in the Supplemental material). Cell
toxicity was increased in all spheroids by P8-D6 compared with topotecan and PBS
(Figure 3(b) and
(c); Additional file 4D–F in the Supplemental material). Furthermore,
P8-D6 exerted a significantly increased pro-apoptotic effect in all spheroids
compared with control (Figure
3(d); Additional file 5A–C in the Supplemental material). To visualize
the potency of P8-D6 in spheroids, a triple live–dead staining consisting of
calcein-AM, PI and hoechst 33342 was used (Figure 3(e), Additional file 5D–F in the Supplemental material). The
decreased staining of calcein-AM and the increase of cells stained with PI
proved the strong cytotoxic effect of P8-D6. In addition, P8-D6 treated cells
showed disintegration of the spheroid and a considerably higher number of dead
cells than topotecan. A 10-fold lower dose of P8-D6 showed similar results as
1 µM topotecan. Moreover, SEM identified surface changes of the spheroids like
loss of membrane integrity due to treatment (Figure 3(f), Additional file 4G in the Supplemental material).
Figure 3.
Antitumour properties in 3D spheroids and 2D co-culture. For 3D culture,
A2780, SKOV-3, OvCar8 and BG-1 cells were maintained in ULA plates for
96 h and subsequently treated with P8-D6 (0.1, 0.5, 1 and 10 µM),
topotecan (1 and 10 µM) and PBS for 48 h. (a) Every 24 h images were
generated by microscopy. Scale bars, 500 µm. (b) and (c) During
treatment, the cell toxicity was measured by fluorescence microscope
using CellTox™ Green (24 and 48 h). Scale bars, 500 µm. The fluorescence
signals for 24 and 48 h after treatment were quantified (relative
fluorescence units RFU) and shown in a heat map (c). (d) After 48-h
treatment, the viability and caspase activity were measured in A2780
spheroids. (e) A2780 spheroids were stained after the growth and
treatment phase with PI (red), calcein-AM (green) and hoechst 33342
(blue), and measured by microscopy. Scale bars, 500 µm. (f) SEM images
of A2780 and OvCar8 spheroids, which were treated with P8-D6 (1 μM) or
PBS for 48 h were taken. Scale bars, 20 µm. (g) For co-culture
experiments, A2780 cells were seeded in 2D monolayers on transwell
inserts and fibroblasts on well bottoms. For comparison, mono-cultures
were cultured and treated with P8-D6 (10 µM), etoposide (10 µM),
topotecan (10 µM) and PBS in the same way. The apoptosis represented as
relative caspase activity was measured in A2780 and fibroblasts. Data
are means + SD (n = 3) one-way ANOVA;
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01,
***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001.
Antitumour properties in 3D spheroids and 2D co-culture. For 3D culture,
A2780, SKOV-3, OvCar8 and BG-1 cells were maintained in ULA plates for
96 h and subsequently treated with P8-D6 (0.1, 0.5, 1 and 10 µM),
topotecan (1 and 10 µM) and PBS for 48 h. (a) Every 24 h images were
generated by microscopy. Scale bars, 500 µm. (b) and (c) During
treatment, the cell toxicity was measured by fluorescence microscope
using CellTox™ Green (24 and 48 h). Scale bars, 500 µm. The fluorescence
signals for 24 and 48 h after treatment were quantified (relative
fluorescence units RFU) and shown in a heat map (c). (d) After 48-h
treatment, the viability and caspase activity were measured in A2780
spheroids. (e) A2780 spheroids were stained after the growth and
treatment phase with PI (red), calcein-AM (green) and hoechst 33342
(blue), and measured by microscopy. Scale bars, 500 µm. (f) SEM images
of A2780 and OvCar8 spheroids, which were treated with P8-D6 (1 μM) or
PBS for 48 h were taken. Scale bars, 20 µm. (g) For co-culture
experiments, A2780 cells were seeded in 2D monolayers on transwell
inserts and fibroblasts on well bottoms. For comparison, mono-cultures
were cultured and treated with P8-D6 (10 µM), etoposide (10 µM),
topotecan (10 µM) and PBS in the same way. The apoptosis represented as
relative caspase activity was measured in A2780 and fibroblasts. Data
are means + SD (n = 3) one-way ANOVA;
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01,
***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001.In addition, it was investigated whether fibroblast-A2780 co-culture could
mediate changes in cancer cell responses to anti-cancer drugs by affecting
cell–cell interaction (Figure
3(g)). Co-culture promotes the apoptosis induction significantly for
P8-D6 treated cancer cells compared with mono-culture, while the co-culture
treated cancer cells with etoposide and topotecan only exhibited minimal
activity differences.
P8-D6 only slightly affects non-cancer cells
Since side effects often occur as a result of tumour therapy,
it is important to determine the toxicity of P8-D6 in preclinical setting on
non-cancerous cells such as HOSE. HOSE were treated for 48 h and the
anti-proliferative effect of P8-D6 is only slightly increased compared with the
reference (Figure
4(a)). While 1 µM P8-D6 is highly effective on cancer cells, no
significant increase of apoptosis was measured compared with PBS control in HOSE
cells. The application of 10 µM P8-D6 shows a similar value as positive controls
(Figure 4(b)).
Figure 4.
Effects on non-cancer cells. (a) To examine toxic effects of therapy,
human ovarian surface epithelial cells (HOSE) were treated with P8-D6,
cisplatin, etoposide, topotecan and PBS for 48 h. The anti-proliferative
effect after 48 h treatment was evaluated by microscopy. Scale bars,
100 µm. (b) The viability and apoptosis were measured after 48 h
treatment in HOSE cells. Data are means + SD
(n = 6) one-way ANOVA;
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01,
***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001. (c) To investigate the
hepatotoxicity, primary human hepatocytes were treated with P8-D6,
doxorubicin and PBS for 48 h. Afterwards, microscopy images were taken,
and apoptosis and oxidative stress measurements were performed. Data are
means + SD (n = 3) one-way ANOVA;
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01,
***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001.
Effects on non-cancer cells. (a) To examine toxic effects of therapy,
human ovarian surface epithelial cells (HOSE) were treated with P8-D6,
cisplatin, etoposide, topotecan and PBS for 48 h. The anti-proliferative
effect after 48 h treatment was evaluated by microscopy. Scale bars,
100 µm. (b) The viability and apoptosis were measured after 48 h
treatment in HOSE cells. Data are means + SD
(n = 6) one-way ANOVA;
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01,
***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001. (c) To investigate the
hepatotoxicity, primary human hepatocytes were treated with P8-D6,
doxorubicin and PBS for 48 h. Afterwards, microscopy images were taken,
and apoptosis and oxidative stress measurements were performed. Data are
means + SD (n = 3) one-way ANOVA;
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01,
***p < 0.001,
****p < 0.0001.Hepatotoxicity is a common and serious side effect in chemotherapy. By measuring
oxidative stress and induction of apoptosis after 48-h treatment in primary
human hepatocytes, P8-D6 showed no significant difference compared with PBS,
while doxorubicin induces significant cell damage effects (Figure 4(c)). P8-D6 proved to be
cytotoxic against OvCa cells without inducing cell death in hepatocytes.
Discussion
Since OvCa is one of the world’s deadliest gynaecological
malignancies, there is a high clinical need for the development of new, effective
and well-tolerated therapy options with suitable physiochemical properties.
P8-D6 was investigated as a novel dual topoisomerase inhibitor in OvCa cell
line and ex vivo patient-derived primary cells in 2D, 3D and
co-culture, and was proven to be overall significantly more effective than standard
therapeutics and negative control.Side effects due to chemotherapy have significant impacts on therapy. However, P8-D6
shows only limited toxic effects on normal cells measured by oxidative stress and
induces apoptosis. The significantly reduced influences on the normal cells could be
explained by the reduced ability of these cells to divide, but these causes have to
be investigated furthermore. If efficacy and toxicity studies are related to
clinical therapy, P8-D6 induces significantly higher (>five-fold) apoptosis rates
in OvCa than current standards. Thus, it could potentially be used in lower doses
than the standard therapeutic agents to achieve the same effect.Due to the dual topoisomerase inhibition of P8-D6, the question arises whether a
combination therapy of two established mono-Topo I/II inhibitors reach the
antitumour potency of P8-D6 in OvCa. Previous studies compared the combination of
Topo I with Topo II inhibitor versus monotherapy and showed
heterogeneous results.[18-21] This study showed
significantly higher induction of apoptosis by P8-D6 when compared with the additive
effect of Topo I and Topo II inhibitor combination. So far, the combination of
topotecan and etoposide shows no clinical benefit
and is not considered as a clinical standard, whereas the monotherapy of
topotecan is proposed to treat in second line therapy.[23,24]A major advantage of a dual topoisomerase inhibitor is the reduced development of
resistance through inhibition of both topoisomerases. The inhibition of only one
enzyme causes a compensatory upregulation of the other.[21,25] The effectiveness of dual
topo-inhibitors on solid tumours has been shown previously.[26,27] In clinical
trials, however, these drugs showed intolerable side effects (e.g. intoplicine,
TA-103, batracylin), such as hepatotoxicity and severe neutropenia.[27-33] Because of this increased
hepatotoxicity with dual topoisomerase inhibitors,
the hepatotoxicity of P8-D6 was determined. Importantly, this study shows
that P8-D6 has no relevant effect concerning oxidative stress and apoptosis in human
hepatocytes. The mechanism of action is the key benefit and novel about these drugs
by affecting both topoisomerases. However, it is a validated target since single
Topo inhibitors are already standards in cancer therapy.[23,24,35]The current therapy for platinum-resistant/refractory OvCa consists mainly of a
monotherapy with paclitaxel, gemcitabine or PLD (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin),
but cancer control rate is limited.[36,37] In addition, topotecan is
another approved treatment option for platinum-resistant/refractory OvCa
therapy.[38,39] Hence, some novel drugs are in clinical trials like the
tyrosine kinase inhibitor rivoceranib.
The antibody drug conjugate (ADC) Mirvetuximab soravtansine (MIRV) comprises
a Folate receptor alpha-binding antibody, cleavable linker and the tubulin-targeting
toxin DM4. A Phase III study evaluated the safety and efficacy of MIRV compared with
chemotherapy in patients with platinum-resistant OvCa.A combination of P8-D6 with a tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase inhibitor or a Poly
(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor could merit additional consideration. These
enzymes are involved in the repair mechanisms of the Topo-DNA complex and would
possibly have a further positive effect in apoptosis induction.[42,43] Liposomal
formulations could also be possible further approaches for P8-D6. This special drug
formulation would significantly increase the selectivity of the active ingredient
and thus contribute to better tolerability of the active ingredient, since
topoisomerase are ubiquitous in cells and can thus trigger slight side effects
there, as known with other cytostatics.
Conclusion
In summary, P8-D6 has promising antitumour properties in 2D, 3D
and co-culture in OvCa. It has fewer effects on normal ovarian cells and hepatocytes
than its references. To sum up, P8-D6 is a strong and rapid inductor of apoptosis
and warrants further development. Further in vivo experiments for
P8-D6 are needed to verify antitumour effects also for complex multiorgan systems.
In addition, further studies on other side effects that could lead to
dose-limitation should be performed.Click here for additional data file.Supplemental material, sj-tif-1-tam-10.1177_17588359211059896 for Newly developed
dual topoisomerase inhibitor P8-D6 is highly active in ovarian cancer by Inken
Flörkemeier, Tamara N. Steinhauer, Nina Hedemann, Magnus Ölander, Per Artursson,
Bernd Clement and Dirk O. Bauerschlag in Therapeutic Advances in Medical
OncologyClick here for additional data file.Supplemental material, sj-tif-2-tam-10.1177_17588359211059896 for Newly developed
dual topoisomerase inhibitor P8-D6 is highly active in ovarian cancer by Inken
Flörkemeier, Tamara N. Steinhauer, Nina Hedemann, Magnus Ölander, Per Artursson,
Bernd Clement and Dirk O. Bauerschlag in Therapeutic Advances in Medical
OncologyClick here for additional data file.Supplemental material, sj-tif-3-tam-10.1177_17588359211059896 for Newly developed
dual topoisomerase inhibitor P8-D6 is highly active in ovarian cancer by Inken
Flörkemeier, Tamara N. Steinhauer, Nina Hedemann, Magnus Ölander, Per Artursson,
Bernd Clement and Dirk O. Bauerschlag in Therapeutic Advances in Medical
OncologyClick here for additional data file.Supplemental material, sj-tif-4-tam-10.1177_17588359211059896 for Newly developed
dual topoisomerase inhibitor P8-D6 is highly active in ovarian cancer by Inken
Flörkemeier, Tamara N. Steinhauer, Nina Hedemann, Magnus Ölander, Per Artursson,
Bernd Clement and Dirk O. Bauerschlag in Therapeutic Advances in Medical
OncologyClick here for additional data file.Supplemental material, sj-tif-5-tam-10.1177_17588359211059896 for Newly developed
dual topoisomerase inhibitor P8-D6 is highly active in ovarian cancer by Inken
Flörkemeier, Tamara N. Steinhauer, Nina Hedemann, Magnus Ölander, Per Artursson,
Bernd Clement and Dirk O. Bauerschlag in Therapeutic Advances in Medical
Oncology
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