Novel screening system revealed that intracellular cholesterol trafficking can be a good target for colon cancer prevention

Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 17;9(1):6192. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-42363-y.

Abstract

In conventional research methods for cancer prevention, cell proliferation and apoptosis have been intensively targeted rather than the protection of normal or benign tumor cells from malignant transformation. In this study, we aimed to identify candidate colon cancer chemopreventive drugs based on the transcriptional activities of TCF/LEF, NF-κB and NRF2, that play important roles in the process of malignant transformation. We screened a "validated library" consisting of 1280 approved drugs to identify hit compounds that decreased TCF/LEF and NF-κB transcriptional activity and increased NRF2 transcriptional activity. Based on the evaluation of these 3 transcriptional activities, 8 compounds were identified as candidate chemopreventive drugs for colorectal cancer. One of those, itraconazole, is a clinically used anti-fungal drug and was examined in the Min mouse model of familial adenomatous polyposis. Treatment with itraconazole significantly suppressed intestinal polyp formation and the effects of itraconazole on transcriptional activities may be exerted partly through inhibition of intracellular cholesterol trafficking. This screen represents one of the first attempts to identify chemopreventive agents using integrated criteria consisting of the inhibition of TCF/LEF, NF-κB and induction of NRF2 transcriptional activity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / drug therapy
  • Animals
  • Biological Transport
  • Cholesterol / metabolism*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Computational Biology / methods
  • Humans
  • Itraconazole / pharmacology
  • Itraconazole / therapeutic use
  • Mice
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / agonists
  • NF-kappa B / antagonists & inhibitors
  • TCF Transcription Factors / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Transcriptional Activation / drug effects

Substances

  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2
  • NF-kappa B
  • TCF Transcription Factors
  • Itraconazole
  • Cholesterol