KML001 displays vascular disrupting properties and irinotecan combined antitumor activities in a murine tumor model

PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e53900. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053900. Epub 2013 Jan 11.

Abstract

KML001 is sodium metaarsenite, and has shown cytotoxic activity in human tumor cell lines. The anti-cancer mechanism of KML001 involves cancer cell destruction due to DNA damage at the telomeres of cancer cell chromosomes. In this study, we assessed the vascular disrupting properties of KML001 and investigated whether KML001 as VDA is able to increase anti-tumor activity in irinotecan combined treatment. We used a murine model of the CT26 colon carcinoma cell line. CT26 isograft mice treated intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg KML001 displayed extensive central necrosis of tumor by 24 h. The vascular disrupting effects of KML001 were assessed by dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Gadopentetic acid-diethylene triaminepentaacetic acid contrast enhancement was markedly decreased in KML001-treated mice one day after treatment, whereas persistently high signal enhancement was observed in mice injected with saline. Rate constant K(ep) value representing capillary permeability was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in mice treated with KML001. Cytoskeletal changes of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with 10 uM KML001 were assessed by immune blotting and confocal imaging. KML001 degraded tubulin protein in HUVECs, which may be related to vascular disrupting properties of KML001. Finally, in the mouse CT26 isograft model, KML001 combined with irinotecan significantly delayed tumor growth as compared to control and irinotecan alone. These results suggest that KML001 is a novel vascular disrupting agent, which exhibits significant vascular shut-down activity and enhances anti-tumor activity in combination with chemotherapy. These data further suggest an avenue for effective combination therapy in treating solid tumors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
  • Arsenites / administration & dosage*
  • Camptothecin / administration & dosage
  • Camptothecin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Colonic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology
  • DNA Damage / drug effects
  • Drug Synergism
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
  • Humans
  • Irinotecan
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / drug therapy*
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / pathology
  • Sodium Compounds / administration & dosage*
  • Telomere / drug effects

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Arsenites
  • Sodium Compounds
  • sodium arsenite
  • Irinotecan
  • Camptothecin

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Priority Research Center Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2010–0029621) and by grants from the Komipharm International Co., LTD in Korea. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.