RESUMO
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a serious unmet medical need. Despite high remission rates with chemotherapy standard-of-care treatment, the disease eventually relapses in a major proportion of patients. Activating Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations are found in approximately 30% of patients with AML. Targeting FLT3 receptor tyrosine kinase has shown encouraging results in treating FLT3-mutated AML. Responses, however, are not sustained and acquired resistance has been a clinical challenge. Treatment options to overcome resistance are currently the focus of research. We report here the preclinical evaluation of AMG 925, a potent, selective, and bioavailable FLT3/cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) dual kinase inhibitor. AMG 925 inhibited AML xenograft tumor growth by 96% to 99% without significant body weight loss. The antitumor activity of AMG 925 correlated with the inhibition of STAT5 and RB phosphorylation, the pharmacodynamic markers for inhibition of FLT3 and CDK4, respectively. In addition, AMG 925 was also found to inhibit FLT3 mutants (e.g., D835Y) that are resistant to the current FLT3 inhibitors (e.g., AC220 and sorafenib). CDK4 is a cyclin D-dependent kinase that plays an essential central role in regulating cell proliferation in response to external growth signals. A critical role of the CDK4-RB pathway in cancer development has been well established. CDK4-specific inhibitors are being developed for treating RB-positive cancer. AMG 925, which combines inhibition of two kinases essential for proliferation and survival of FLT3-mutated AML cells, may improve and prolong clinical responses.
Assuntos
Quinase 4 Dependente de Ciclina/antagonistas & inibidores , Compostos Heterocíclicos com 3 Anéis/administração & dosagem , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/tratamento farmacológico , Naftiridinas/administração & dosagem , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/administração & dosagem , Tirosina Quinase 3 Semelhante a fms/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Ciclo Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Compostos Heterocíclicos com 3 Anéis/farmacocinética , Compostos Heterocíclicos com 3 Anéis/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/genética , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/patologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Nus , Naftiridinas/farmacocinética , Naftiridinas/uso terapêutico , Neoplasias Experimentais , Niacinamida/análogos & derivados , Niacinamida/farmacologia , Compostos de Fenilureia/farmacologia , Piperazinas/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacocinética , Piridinas/farmacologia , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Sorafenibe , Células U937 , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de XenoenxertoRESUMO
Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a component of cellular membranes that is also a mediator of certain cell signalling functions associated with oncogenesis. These include ras/raf/Erk and Akt/mTor [1-3]. The authors have investigated whether it would be possible to interrupt these known oncogenic pathways through the inhibition of lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT), an enzyme that catalyses the biosynthesis of PA. The expression and activity of the LPAAT-beta isoform are elevated in human tumours, and the respective gene displays transforming capacity when overexpressed in vitro. Inhibition by either genetic means or by isoform-specific small molecules results in a block to cell signalling pathways and apoptosis. Furthermore, the small-molecule inhibitors of LPAAT-beta are not cytotoxic to a number of normal cell types, including primary bone marrow progenitors, indicating a differential dependence of tumour cells on LPAAT-beta function. These discoveries indicate that LPAAT-beta represents a potential novel cancer therapy target.