Antitumor effects and preliminary systemic toxicity of ANISpm in vivo and in vitro

Anticancer Drugs. 2013 Jan;24(1):32-42. doi: 10.1097/CAD.0b013e328359affd.

Abstract

Polyamines as a vector to ferry toxic agents have attracted attention, and naphthalimide-polyamine conjugates show potent activity and tumor cell selectivity. The present study was carried out to evaluate the antitumor effects and preliminary systemic toxicity of ANISpm, a novel 3-amino-naphthalimide-spermine conjugate. The polyamine transport system recognition of ANISpm, supported by α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO)/spermidine (Spd) experiments, is in accordance with its potent cell selectivity between human hepatoma HepG2 cells and normal QSG7701 hepatocyte. The antiproliferative effect is because of ANISpm-induced cell apoptosis, a common characteristic of both naphthalimide and polyamine analogs. Various apoptotic assessment assays have shown that ANISpm can induce apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt signal pathway. The apoptotic signaling cascade involves Akt inactivation, which results in a series of cellular events. The downstream pathway includes Bad dephosphorylation, dissociation of 14-3-3 and Bad, and binding to Bcl-xL, which triggers the disruption of the mitochondrial membrane, release of cytochrome c, and caspases' cascade activation. Furthermore, the Akt/mTOR signal pathway is also involved in ANISpm-mediated cell-cycle arrest. Additive DFMO or Spd, which only enhances or attenuates ANISpm-mediated cell apoptosis, respectively, does not alter the signal pathway. In addition, preliminary toxicology evaluation showed that ANISpm had no obvious system toxicity at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg, which exerted potent antitumor activity in vivo, especially hematotoxicity. Thus, ANISpm merits further investigation as a potential chemotherapeutic agent against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • CHO Cells
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cricetinae
  • Cricetulus
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Hepatocytes / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Naphthalimides / chemical synthesis
  • Naphthalimides / pharmacology*
  • Naphthalimides / toxicity
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Spermine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Spermine / chemical synthesis
  • Spermine / pharmacology
  • Spermine / toxicity
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Toxicity Tests
  • bcl-Associated Death Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • ANISpm compound
  • Naphthalimides
  • bcl-Associated Death Protein
  • Spermine
  • MTOR protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases