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
The signaling pathway of the receptor tyrosine kinase MET and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is important for cell growth, survival, and motility and is functionally linked to the signaling pathway of VEGF, which is widely recognized as a key effector in angiogenesis and cancer progression. Dysregulation of the MET/VEGF axis is found in a number of human malignancies and has been associated with tumorigenesis. Cabozantinib (XL184) is a small-molecule kinase inhibitor with potent activity toward MET and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), as well as a number of other receptor tyrosine kinases that have also been implicated in tumor pathobiology, including RET, KIT, AXL, and FLT3. Treatment with cabozantinib inhibited MET and VEGFR2 phosphorylation in vitro and in tumor models in vivo and led to significant reductions in cell invasion in vitro. In mouse models, cabozantinib dramatically altered tumor pathology, resulting in decreased tumor and endothelial cell proliferation coupled with increased apoptosis and dose-dependent inhibition of tumor growth in breast, lung, and glioma tumor models. Importantly, treatment with cabozantinib did not increase lung tumor burden in an experimental model of metastasis, which has been observed with inhibitors of VEGF signaling that do not target MET. Collectively, these data suggest that cabozantinib is a promising agent for inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and metastasis in cancers with dysregulated MET and VEGFR signaling.