Bijoy K. Bhuyan

Cell kill kinetics and cell cycle effects of taxol on human and hamster ovarian cell lines

Taxol is a clinically active anticancer drug, which exerts its cytotoxicity by the unique mechanism of polymerizing tubulin monomers into microtubules and stabilizing microtubules. Our studies with ovarian (hamster CHO and human A2780) cells showed that taxol is a phase-specific agent that is much more cytotoxic to mitotic cells than interphase cells. First, the dose-survival pattern of taxol resembled that of other phase-specific agents, in which cell-kill reached a plateau at a certain concentration. This suggests that the asynchronous cell population consists of a taxol-sensitive (presumably mitotic) fraction and a taxol-resistant fraction. Second, the cells were more responsive to increased exposure time than to increased dose above the plateau concentration. Third, in both asynchrounous and synchronous cultures taxol was much more cytotoxic to mitotic than interphase (G1, S and G2) cells. Fourth, the taxol concentration needed to kill cells corresponded to the dose needed to block cells in mitosis. Although taxol blocked cells in mitosis, the mitotic block was of short duration. Cells escaped the mitotic block, without cytokinesis, and entered the next round of DNA synthesis to form multinucleated polyploid cells. Taxol was 15-to 25-fold more toxic to A2780 (human ovarian carcinoma) cells compared to CHO cells. This difference in sensitivity correlated with a higher intracellular taxol concentration in A2780 as compared to CHO as determined by either an ELISA assay or by [H3]-taxol uptake.

Comparison of different methods of determining cell viability after exposure to cytotoxic compounds.

Abstract Cell-survival (of DON and L1210 cells) after treatment with cytotoxic compounds was assessed by measuring cloning efficiency, exclusion of trypan blue and erythrosin B, [ 51 Cr] release, and attachment of DON cells to glass. Cell survival as measured by cloning efficiency did not correlate with survival measured by any of the other methods. We found that the stainability of cells after drug exposure depended on the cell line used. For example, after 3 h exposure to tubercidin although 100% of both DON and L1210 cells were killed (on basis of cloning efficiency), only 11% of DON cells and 68% of L1210 cells were dead as indicated by staining with erythrosin B. The stainability of cells also depended on the particular drug used. For example, after 24 h exposure of L1210 cells to adriamycin and tubercidin (both killed >99% of cells on basis of cloning efficiency) 21% of cells exposed to adriamycin and 99% of cells exposed to tubercidin were stained. The results obtained with several other cytotoxic compounds are discussed.

Bacterial mutagenicity and mammalian cell DNA damage by several substituted anilines

Several substituted alkyl- and haloanilines were tested for their ability to mutate Salmonella typhimurium and to damage the DNA of mammalian (V79) cells. These results were correlated with their reported carcinogenicity. Of 9 suspected carcinogens, 4 were bacterial mutagens and 4 (out of 7 tested) damaged DNA of V79 cells. The following compounds were weakly mutagenic (less than 150 revertants/mumole): 4-fluoroaniline, 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5- and 3,4-dimethylaniline, and 2-methyl-4-fluoroaniline. The following compounds were strong mutagens: 2,4,5-trimethylaniline, 2-methyl-4-chloro-, and 2-methyl-4-bromo-, 4-methyl-2-chloro-, 4-methyl-2-bromo- and 2-ethyl-4-chloroaniline. The compounds which damaged DNA in V79 cells were: 2 methyl-4-chloroaniline, 2-methyl-4-bromoaniline, 2,4,5- and 2,4,6-trimethylaniline.

Studies of the biochemical pharmacology of the fermentation-derived antitumor agent, (αS, 5S) -α-amino-3-chloro-4, 5-dihydro-5-isoxazoleacetic acid (at-125)

Abstract (αS, 5S)-α-Amino-3-chloro-4,5-dihydro-5-isoxazoleacetic acid (AT-125) isolated from fermentation broths of Streptomyces sviceus was found to have significant activity against a number of tumors in experimental animals. It is currently being developed by the U.S. National Cancer Institute for clinical evaluation. AT-125 was shown to be a potent inhibitor of growth of L1210 and KB cells in culture. These effects were markedly dependent on the time of exposure to the agent. Similar results were observed when survival (residual proliferative capacity) of L1210 cells was measured. With L1210 cells (in culture and in vivo) AT-125 inhibited the incorporation of 3H-TdR into macromolecules to a greater extent than was observed when 3H-UR was the precursor. The activity of AT-125 in crude fermentation broths was detected in an in vitro antimicrobial prescreen designed to specifically detect materials with antimetabolite activity. Its activity in such a system was rather specifically antagonized by the amino acid, L-histidine. Such was not the case, however, in mammalian cells; L-histidine was without effect on AT-125 activity. In mammalian cells, the effects of AT-125 on growth inhibition or inhibition of radioactive precursors into macromolecules were rather specifically antagonized by L-glutamine. AT-125 was found to have significantly greater toxicity towards female than male mice, and sensitivity appeared to decrease with animal age. Further studies showed that AT-125 toxicity could be alleviated by coadministration of testosterone. In this respect, the biological activity of AT-125 was quite similar to that of a nucleoside antitumor agent, deaza UR. The primary locus of activity of deaza UR (after conversion to the triphosphate) has been shown to be inhibition of CTP synthetase. In studies with rat liver homogenates, AT-125 has been shown to inhibit CTP synthetase as well as other enzymes which catalyze the transfer of the amido group of L-glutamine. Further investigation of the effects of AT-125 have shown it to be a very potent inhibitor (Ki = 2 × 10−6 M) of purified rat liver CTP synthetase. AT-125 also causes effects on ribonucleotide pools which are consistent with inhibition of this enzyme and with the inhibition of another L-glutamine-dependent enzyme, XMP aminase. The importance of these two enzymes as loci for the biochemical action of AT-125 was supported when it was found that a combination of CR and GR significantly antagonized the growth inhibitory activity of AT-125.

Assessment of microtubule stabilizers by semiautomated in vitro microtubule protein polymerization and mitotic block assays

Abstract Paclitaxel (Taxol) a clinically active anticancer agent, exerts its cytotoxicity by inducing tubulin polymerization, leading to cellular mitotic block. In contrast, other antimitotic drugs, such as colchicine, podophyllotoxin, and vinblastine, act by depolymerizing microtubules. We report here (a) a semiautomated assay which measures the tubulin-polymerizing activity of paclitaxel analogs and (b) a cellular assay to measure the potential of these compounds to block cells in mitosis. The microtubule-polymerizing assay measured the turbidity of bovine brain microtubule protein (MTP) polymerized by the test compound in a 96-well plate. We maximized the sensitivity of this assay by conducting the polymerization reaction at 20 °C, at which temperature the baseline reaction, i.e. the basic ability of the untreated MTP control to polymerize, was minimal. At 20 °C, the effect of 0.05 μg/ml of paclitaxel on MTP could be detected, whereas at 37 °C, >1 μg/ml of paclitaxel was required to detect a significant effect relative to untreated MTP. We describe the analysis of the complex curves of MTP polymerization with varying concentrations of test compounds. The polymerization of microtubules leads to cells being blocked in mitosis. This mitotic blocking effect in intact cells was determined using a cell settling chamber which allowed eight samples to be deposited on a slide. This method required a smaller number of cells (103–105), maintained cell morphology, and allowed for rapid screening of samples. The activity of several new paclitaxel analogs is reported.

Adozelesin, a potent new alkylating agent: cell-killing kinetics and cell-cycle effects

SummaryAdozelesin (U-73975) was highly cytotoxic to V79 cells in culture and was more cytotoxic than several clinically active antitumor drugs as determined in a human tumor-cloning assay. Phase-specificity studies showed that cells in the M + early G1 phase were most resistant to adozelesin and those in the late G1 + early S phase were most sensitive. Adozelesin transiently slowed cell progression through the S phase and then blocked cells in G2. Some cells escaped the G2 block and either divided or commenced a second round of DNA synthesis (without undergoing cytokinesis) to become tetraploid. Adozelesin inhibited DNA synthesis more than it did RNA or protein synthesis. However, the dose needed for inhibition of DNA synthesis was 10-fold that required for inhibition of L1210 cell growth. The observation that cell growth was inhibited at doses that did not cause significant inhibition of DNA synthesis and that cells were ultimately capable of completing two rounds of DNA synthesis in the presence of the drug suggests that adozelesin did not exert its cytotoxicity by significant inhibition of DNA synthesis. It is likely that adozelesin alkylates DNA at specific sites, which leads to transient inhibition of DNA synthesis and subsequent G2 blockade followed by a succession of events (polyploidy and unbalanced growth) that result in cell death.

Synergistic and additive combinations of several antitumor drugs and other agents with the potent alkylating agent adozelesin

Adozelesin is a highly potent alkylating agent that undergoes binding in the minor groove of double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) at A-T-rich sequences followed by covalent bonding with N-3 of adenine in preferred sequences. On the basis of its highpotency, broad-spectrum in vivo antitumor activity and its unique mechanism of action, adozelesin has entered clinical trial. We report herein the cytotoxicity for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells of several agents, including antitumor drugs, combined with adozelesin. The additive, synergistic, or antagonistic nature of the combined drug effect was determined for most combinations using the median-effect principle. The results show that in experiments using DNA- and RNA-synthesis inhibitors, prior treatment with the DNA inhibitor aphidicolin did not affect the lethality of adozelesin. Therefore, ongoing DNA synthesis is not needed for adozelesin cytotoxicity. Combination with the RNA inhibitor cordycepin also did not affect adozelesin cytotoxicity. In experiments with alkylating agents, combinations of adozelesin with melphalan or cisplatin were usually additive or slightly synergistic. Adozelesin-tetraplatin combinations were synergistic at several different ratios of the two drugs, and depending on the schedule of exposure to drug. In experiments using methylxanthines, adozelesin combined synergistically with noncytotoxic doses of caffeine or pentoxifylline and resulted in several logs of increase in adozelesin cytotoxicity. In experiments with hypomethylating agents, adozelesin combined synergistically with 5-azacytidine (5-aza-CR) and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-2′-CdR). Combinations of adozelesin with tetraplatin or 5-ara-2′-CdR were also tested against B16 melanoma cells in vitro and were found to be additive and synergistic, respectively. The synergistic cytotoxicity to CHO cells of adozelesin combinations with tetraplatin, 5-aza-CR, or pentoxifylline was not due to increased adozelesin uptake or increased alkylation of DNA by adozelesin.

V79 Chinese hamster lung cells resistant to the bis-alkylator bizelesin are multidrug-resistant

Bizelesin (U-77779) is a highly potent bis-alkylating antitumor agent that is effective against several tumor systems in vitro and in vivo. V79 cells that were 125-to 250-fold resistant to bizelesin developed after constant exposure to gradually increasing concentrations of the drug. Resistant cells exhibited a multidrug-resistant phenotype and genotype as indicated by cross-resistance to several structurally and functionally unrelated drugs, e. g., colchicine, actinomycin D, and Adriamycin, and overexpression of mdr mRNA. Very low levels of cross-resistance to the alkylating, agents cisplatin and melphalan were seen. Multidrug-resistant mouse leukemia (P388/Adriamycin-resistant) and human (KB/vinblastine-resistant) cells were also resistant to bizelesin. Bizelesin resistance was unstable and decreased when cells were grown in the absence of the drug. Resistant and sensitive cell lines had similar levels of glutathione, and bizelesin cytotoxicity for resistant cells was not markedly affected by treatment with buthionine sulfoximine. Cross-resistance between bizelesin and several of its analogs is reported.

Drug sensitivity of ten human tumor cell lines compared to mouse leukemia (L1210) cells

L1210 leukemia cells, because of their rapid growth rate in suspension culture and high growth fraction, are ideally suited to screen in vitro for cytotoxic compounds. Although L1210 cells may mimic rapidly growing tumors, they have not been effective in selecting agents active against slow growing solid tumors. We expected that cell lines originating from human solid tumors, because of their slower growth rate and lower S phase fraction, would be more drug resistant than L1210. Therefore, we compared ten human tumor cell lines (5 melanomas, 4 colon carcinomas and 1 small cell lung carcinoma) to L1210 growth inhibition by 9 anti-tumor drugs. Not one human tumor cell line was consistently more resistant to all nine drugs than L1210 when the cells were exposed to drugs for about 2 doubling times. The drug sensitivity of 2 cell lines (L1210 and SK MEL 28) was again determined after a short term (2 hr) exposure and using growth inhibition and cell survival as end points. For both end points these two cell lines exhibited a random pattern of sensitivity to the drugs tested. Cell kill showed an order of sensitivity different than growth inhibition. The implication of these findings for drug-screening is discussed.

Synergistic combination of menogarol and melphalan and other two drug combinations.

SummaryMenogarol is a new anthracycline undergoing phase I clinical trial. We report here the lethality after 2 hr exposure to 2 drug combinations of menogarol and several antitumor agents. A new statistical procedure was used to identify synergistic combinations. Most of these combinations were additive, except for menogarol plus melphalan, which was synergistic. Adriamycin plus melphalan was also synergistic. The menogarol-melphalan combination was studied in detail with regard to the effect of dose and drug-schedule, lethality for exponential and plateau phase cells and effect on cell cycle progression. Although the combination was synergistic for exponential cells it was additive for plateau phase cells. The combination exerted a synergistic effect in inhibiting progression of cells through the cell cycle. After 2 hr menogarol exposure cells were blocked in G2 for about 12 hr following which the block was reversed. This reversal was inhibited when menogarol was combined with melphalan. The uptake of menogarol or melphalan was not changed in the presence of the other drug.