In vitro effects of PI3K/mTOR inhibition in canine hemangiosarcoma

PLoS One. 2018 Jul 16;13(7):e0200634. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200634. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

While extremely rare in humans, hemangiosarcoma (HSA) accounts for nearly 2% of canine neoplasia, and is characterized by both aggressive local growth/invasion and a high rate of metastasis. Both canine and human HSA exhibit sustained aberrant PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway signaling. The purpose of this study was to examine the in vitro effects of a novel dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, VDC-597, in three canine HSA cell lines (DEN-, CIN-, and SB-HSA). VDC-597 suppressed activation of both Akt and 4eBP1 in canine HSA cells in a dose-dependent fashion, with an IC50 of approximately 0.3 uM, a concentration predicted to be clinically achievable based on preliminary early-phase canine and human studies. VDC-597 dose-dependently reduced proliferation, migration, and vascular endothelial growth factor production in HSA cells, while promoting tumor cell apoptosis. VDC-597 demonstrated additive antiproliferative effects when combined with doxorubicin. These results suggest that inhibitors of the PI3K/mTOR pathway may act against multiple components of the neoplastic process, including proliferation/apoptosis, chemosensitivity, migration, and angiogenesis, and justify the evaluation of PI3K/mTOR inhibitors in canine, and potentially human, HSA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Dog Diseases / drug therapy*
  • Dog Diseases / enzymology
  • Dog Diseases / pathology
  • Dogs
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology*
  • Hemangiosarcoma / drug therapy*
  • Hemangiosarcoma / enzymology
  • Hemangiosarcoma / pathology
  • Hemangiosarcoma / veterinary*
  • Humans
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Doxorubicin
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases