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. 2019 Oct 24;11(11):1637.
doi: 10.3390/cancers11111637.

Galeterone and The Next Generation Galeterone Analogs, VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β Exert Potent Therapeutic Effects in Castration-/Drug-Resistant Prostate Cancer Preclinical Models In Vitro and In Vivo

Affiliations

Galeterone and The Next Generation Galeterone Analogs, VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β Exert Potent Therapeutic Effects in Castration-/Drug-Resistant Prostate Cancer Preclinical Models In Vitro and In Vivo

Andrew K Kwegyir-Afful et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

These studies compared the efficacies of our clinical agent galeterone (Gal) and the FDA-approved prostate cancer drug, enzalutamide (ENZ) with two lead next generation galeterone analogs (NGGAs), VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β, using prostate cancer (PC) in vitro and in vivo models. Antitumor activities of orally administered agents were also assessed in CWR22Rv1 tumor-bearing mice. We demonstrated that Gal and NGGAs degraded AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2; blocked cell cycle progression and proliferation of human PC cells; induced apoptosis; inhibited cell migration, invasion, and putative stem cell markers; and reversed the expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, Gal/NGGAs (alone or in combination) also inhibited the growth of ENZ-, docetaxel-, and mitoxantrone-resistant human PC cell lines. The NGGAs exhibited improved pharmacokinetic profiles over Gal in mice. Importantly, in vivo testing showed that VNPP433-3β (at 7.53-fold lower equimolar dose than Gal) markedly suppressed (84% vs. Gal, 47%; p < 0.01) the growth of castration-resistant PC (CRPC) CWR22Rv1 xenograft tumors, with no apparent host toxicity. ENZ was ineffective in this CRPC xenograft model. In summary, our findings show that targeting AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2 for degradation represents an effective therapeutic strategy for PC/CRPC treatment and supports further development of VNPP433-3β towards clinical investigation.

Keywords: Mnk-eIF4E/mTORC1 signaling pathways; Mnk1/2 degraders; NGGAs; VNPP433-3β AR/AR-V7; apoptosis; castration-/drug-resistant PC cell; galeterone (Gal); prostate cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Vincent C. O. Njar is the lead inventor of galeterone and the NGGAs, the patents and technologies thereof are owned by the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Puranik Purushottamachar and Francis N. Murigi are co-inventors of the NGGAs. The other authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of Galeterone, VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β, Bicalutamide, and Enzalutamide.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gal and next generation galeterone analogs (NGGA) inhibit proliferation, colony formation and inhibit cell cycle progression of a variety of prostate cancer cell lines. (A) Comparative GI50 values of Gal, NGGAs, and enzalutamide (ENZ) in drug-naïve-/-resistant prostate cancer cells. (B) Gal and NGGAs induce G1 cell cycle arrest in LNCaP cells. (C) VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β deplete the cell cycle regulator, cyclin D1, and upregulate p21; “+” indicates specific treatments. (D) Gal cause dose-dependent depletion of cyclin D1. (E) Unlike ENZ, Gal and VNPP433-3β inhibit colony formation of drug-naïve/-resistant cells in vitro. 1000 cells/well (CWR-R1, CWR-R1 (10E), CWR-R1-MTX20nM), seeded in 6-well plates were treated with indicated concentrations of compounds for a period of 14 days. Media containing compounds were replaced every 3 days. Colonies were stained with 0.05% crystal violet. (F) Quantification of colony formation units (CFU) in drug-naive/resistant cells. Colony assays were repeated three times and colonies counted in four quadrants of the wells. Results are represented as averages with S.E.M. (* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.001). Note: the numbers in parentheses in Figure 2B,C,E are concentrations of the agents in µM.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Characterization of drug-naïve/-resistant prostate cancer cells and effects of drug combinations with Gal or VNPP433-3β. (A) Western blot of protein expressions in CWR-R1, CWR-R1, (10E) and CWR-R1 (MTX-20nM) cells. (B) Densitometry of three representative experiments were averaged and plotted as bar charts. (C) Mnk2 mRNA expression in CWR-R1 and CWR-R1 (10E). (D) Western blot analysis of Mnk1, peIF4E, and cyclin D1 in LNCaP and ENZ-resistant MR49F cells. (E) Combination indices of agent interactions in prostate cancer cell lines. Cell viability assays were conducted for Gal, VNPP433-3β, ENZ, and docetaxel (DOC) individually and GI50 values calculated. Compounds were subsequently combined at their GI50 (constant ratio). Fractional effects of single agents and in combination were calculated and analyzed by Calcusyn software to compute the combination indices (CI) at ED50, ED75, and ED90. (CI < 1 -synergy, CI = 1 -additive and CI > 1 -antagonism) as previously described [9,10]. (F) Representative photographs of colonies formed in cells at 14th day after initial treatment with the indicated compounds. Colonies were fixed with methanol and stained with crystal violet.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Impact of Gal and NGGAs on AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2-eIF4E signaling pathways. (A) Western blot showing the effects of Gal and VNPT55 (55) on Mnk1, Mnk2, and peIF4E. (B) Western blot showing the effects of VNPP414 (414) and VNPP433-3β (433)) on Mnk1, Mnk2, and peIF4E. (C) Western blot showing dose-dependent effect of VNPP433-3β (433) on Mnk2, BMI-1, and peIF4E in CWR-R1 cells. (D) Western blot showing dose-dependent effect of Gal on Mnk1, Mnk2, BMI-1, and Snail1 in drug-resistant CWR-R1(10E) cells. (E) Western blot showing dose-dependent effect of VNPP433-3β (433) on Mnk1, Mnk2, BMI-1, and Snail1 in drug-resistant CWR-R1(10E) cells. (F) EC50 values (for fAR, ARV-7 and Mnk1) for compounds determined from dose–response curves upon compound treatments (0–7.5 µM) of CWR22Rv1 cells for 72 h followed by western blot analysis of cells lysates. Note: the numbers in parentheses in Figure 4B are concentrations of the agents in µM.
Figure 5
Figure 5
NGGAs modulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and inhibit cell migration and invasion. (A) VNPP414 (414) and VNPP433-3β (433) induce expression of E-cadherin and decreased expressions of N-cadherin, MMP2, MMP9, and Slug. (B) VNPP414 (414) and VNPP433-3β (433) decreased expressions of β-catenin, CD44, EZH2, BMI-1, and Nanog. (C) VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β inhibit PC cells migration. (D) VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β inhibit PC cells invasion. (E) Quantifications of inhibition of cell migration and invasion by VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β. Note: the numbers in parentheses in Figure 5A,B are concentrations of the agents in µM.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Plasma pharmacokinetic profiles of single IV, IP, and PO administrations of Gal, VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β to CD-1 mice. Values represent mean (±SD) concentrations from three mice.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effects of Gal, NGGAs and ENZ in an in vivo castration-resistant prostate cancer model. (A) Mice bearing CWR22Rv1 xenografts (5 mice per group) were treated with vehicle, Gal (100 mg/kg/twice daily), VNPP414 (60 mg/kg, once daily), VNPP433-3β (15 or 30 mg/kg, once daily) and ENZ (25 mg.kg, once daily) 5 days per week for 16 days. Tumor volumes were measured twice a week and the tumors were collected. Tumor growth inhibition (TGI) values are indicated at the right of each growth curve, and the error bars are the SEM. Results are represented as means ± SEM. # p = ns (not significant vs. vehicle), $ p < 0.0272 vs. vehicle, * p < 0.0035 vs. vehicle, ** p < 0.0025 vs. vehicle and *** p < 0.0008 vs. vehicle. (B) Photographed tumors from each group. (C) Mean body weights of mice determined during the study. (D) Western blot analyses of tumor samples from each experimental group at day 16.

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