Repositioning of amprenavir as a novel extracellular signal-regulated kinase-2 inhibitor and apoptosis inducer in MCF-7 human breast cancer

Int J Oncol. 2017 Mar;50(3):823-834. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2017.3860. Epub 2017 Jan 24.

Abstract

Computational drug repositioning by virtually screening existing drugs for additional therapeutic usage could efficiently accelerate anticancer drug discovery. Herein, a library of 1447 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved small molecule drugs was screened in silico for inhibitors of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2). Then, in vitro kinase assay demonstrated amprenavir, a HIV-1 protease inhibitor, as a potential kinase inhibitor of ERK2. The in vivo kinase assay indicated that amprenavir could inhibit ERK2-mediated phosphorylation of BimEL at Ser69. Amprenavir could suppress this phosphorylation in MCF-7 cells, which may further facilitate the association of BimEL with several pro-survival molecules. Additionally, inhibition of ERK2-BimEL signaling pathway by amprenavir could contribute to its anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity in MCF-7 cells. Finally, in vivo tumor growth and immunohistochemical studies confirmed that amprenavir remarkably suppressed tumor proliferation and induce apoptosis in MCF-7 xenografts. Taken together, amprenavir can effectively inhibit the kinase activity of ERK2, and thus induces apoptosis and inhibits tumor growth in human MCF-7 cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, making amprenavir a promising candidate for future anticancer therapeutics.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects*
  • Bcl-2-Like Protein 11 / genetics
  • Bcl-2-Like Protein 11 / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Carbamates / therapeutic use*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Repositioning / methods*
  • Female
  • Furans
  • HIV Protease Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / genetics
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Sulfonamides / therapeutic use*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • BCL2L11 protein, human
  • Bcl-2-Like Protein 11
  • Carbamates
  • Furans
  • HIV Protease Inhibitors
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Sulfonamides
  • amprenavir
  • MAPK1 protein, human
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1