Preclinical Efficacy of [V4 Q5 ]dDAVP, a Second Generation Vasopressin Analog, on Metastatic Spread and Tumor-Associated Angiogenesis in Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: Control of metastatic spread of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains as a major therapeutic challenge. [V4 Q5 ]dDAVP is a vasopressin peptide analog with previously reported anticancer activity against carcinoma tumors. By acting as a selective agonist of arginine vasopressin type 2 membrane receptor (AVPR2) present in endothelial and tumor cells, [V4Q5]dDAVP is able to impair tumor aggressiveness and distant spread. Our aim was to evaluate the potential therapeutic benefits of [V4Q5]dDAVP on highly aggressive CRC disease using experimental models with translational relevance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Murine CT-26 and human Colo-205 AVPR2-expressing CRC cell lines were used to test the preclinical efficacy of [V4Q5]dDAVP, both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: In syngeneic mice surgically implanted with CT-26 cells in the spleen, sustained intravenous treatment with [V4Q5]dDAVP (0.3 µg/kg) dramatically impaired metastatic progression to liver without overt signs of toxicity, and also reduced experimental lung colonization. The compound inhibited in vivo angiogenesis driven by Colo-205 cells in athymic mice, as well as in vitro endothelial cell migration and capillary tube formation. [V4Q5]dDAVP exerted AVPR2-dependent cytostatic activity in vitro (IC50 1.08 µM) and addition to 5-fluorouracil resulted in synergistic antiproliferative effects both in CT-26 and Colo-205 cells. CONCLUSION: The present preclinical study establishes for the first time the efficacy of [V4Q5]dDAVP on CRC. These encouraging. RESULTS: suggest that the novel second generation vasopressin analog could be used for the management of aggressive CRC as an adjuvant agent during surgery or to complement standard chemotherapy, limiting tumor angiogenesis and metastasis and thus protecting the patient from CRC recurrence.

CIGB-300, an anti-CK2 peptide, inhibits angiogenesis, tumor cell invasion and metastasis in lung cancer models.

OBJECTIVES: Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is overexpressed in several types of cancer. It has more than 300 substrates mainly involved in DNA reparation and replication, chromatin remodeling and cellular growth. In recent years CK2 became an interesting target for anticancer drug development. CIGB-300 is a peptidic inhibitor of CK2 activity, designed to bind to the phospho-acceptor domain of CK2 substrates, impairing the correct phosphorylation by the enzyme. The aim of this work was to explore the antitumor effects of this inhibitor in preclinical lung cancer models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human H125 and murine 3LL Lewis lung carcinoma cell lines were used to evaluate the effect of CIGB-300 treatment in vitro. For this purpose, adhesion, migration and invasion capabilities of cancer cells were tested. Proteolytic activity of tumor cell-secreted uPA and MMP after CIGB-300 incubation was also analyzed. In vivo anticancer efficacy of the peptide was evaluated using experimental and spontaneous lung colonization assays in C57BL/6 mice. Finally, in order to test the effect of CIGB-300 on tumor cell-induced angiogenesis, a modified Matrigel plug assay was conducted. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that treatment with low micromolar concentrations of CIGB-300 caused a drastic reduction of adhesion, migration and invasion of lung cancer cells. Reduced invasiveness after CIGB-300 incubation was associated with decreased proteolytic activity of tumor cell-conditioned medium. In vivo, intravenous administration of CIGB-300 (10mg/kg) markly decreased lung colonization and metastasis development of 3LL cells. Interestingly, after 5days of systemic treatment with CIGB-300, tumor cell-driven neovascularization was significantly reduced in comparison to control group. Altogether our data suggest an important role of CK2 in lung tumor development, suggesting a potential use of CIGB-300 as a novel therapeutic agent against lung cancer.