Enzastaurin shows preclinical antitumor activity against human transitional cell carcinoma and enhances the activity of gemcitabine.

Abstract

Enzastaurin, an oral serine/threonine kinase inhibitor, suppresses signaling through protein kinase C (PKC)-beta and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT pathways. We preclinically evaluated enzastaurin alone and in combination with gemcitabine for transitional cell cancer (TCC). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was done on 105 human samples from a microarray to show the expression of PKC-beta. The preclinical antitumor activity of enzastaurin and gemcitabine as single agents and in combination against aggressive human -lines (-SUP and 5637) and murine subcutaneous xenografts bearing 5637 cells was determined. Western Blot was done on tumor cells in vitro to detect signaling through PKC-beta, GSK-3beta, and AKT. The effect on cell migration was determined in vitro. Modulation of proliferation (Ki-67), apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3), and angiogenesis (CD31) in vivo was determined by IHC. IHC done on human TCC samples from a microarray showed the expression of PKC-beta in 33% of tumors. Enzastaurin induced significant apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in vitro at low micromolar concentrations. The in vitro inhibitory activity of combination enzastaurin and gemcitabine by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay seemed synergistic. Western Blotting revealed down-regulation of Akt, PKC-beta, and GSK-3 beta phosphorylation. Enzastaurin inhibited migration at an earlier time point independent of antiproliferative activity. Combination therapy had significantly superior antitumor activity in murine xenografts compared with untreated controls, whereas single agents did not. IHC showed reduced Ki-67 and CD31 and increased cleaved caspase-3 with combination therapy compared with controls. Enzastaurin showed preclinical antitumor activity against human TCC and enhanced the activity of gemcitabine.

• Authors: Weiguo Jian, Hideyuki Yamashita, Jonathan M Levitt, Seth P Lerner, Guru Sonpavde
• Journal: Molecular cancer therapeutics (Mol Cancer Ther) Vol. 8 Issue 7 Pg. 1772-8 (Jul 2009) ISSN: 1538-8514 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 19509273 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
• Indoles
• Deoxycytidine
• Ribonucleotide Reductases
• GSK3B protein, human
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta
• Gsk3b protein, mouse
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
• Protein Kinase C
• Protein Kinase C beta
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
• enzastaurin
• Gemcitabine

Topics

• Animals
• Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic (therapeutic use)
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Blotting, Western
• Carcinoma, Transitional Cell (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Movement (drug effects)
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Deoxycytidine (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Drug Synergism
• Female
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (metabolism)
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta
• Humans
• Immunoenzyme Techniques
• Indoles (therapeutic use)
• Mice
• Mice, Nude
• Protein Kinase C (antagonists & inhibitors, metabolism)
• Protein Kinase C beta
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt (metabolism)
• Ribonucleotide Reductases (antagonists & inhibitors)
• Gemcitabine