Vernon E. Steele

Downregulation of microRNA expression in the lungs of rats exposed to cigarette smoke

Although microRNAs have been investigated extensively in cancer research, little is known regarding their response to noxious agents in apparently healthy tissues. We analyzed the expression of 484 miRNAs in the lungs of rats exposed to environmental cigarette smoke (ECS) for 28 days. ECS down‐regulated 126 miRNAs (26.0%) at least 2‐fold and 24 miRNAs more than 3‐fold. We previously demonstrated that 107 of 4858 genes (2.9%) and 50 of 518 proteins (9.7%) were up‐regulated by ECS in the same tissue, which is consistent with the role of microRNAs as negative regulators of gene expression. The most remarkably down‐regulated microRNAs belonged to the families of let‐7, miR‐10, miR‐26, miR‐30, miR‐34, miR‐99, miR‐122, miR‐123, miR‐124, miR‐125, miR‐140, miR‐145, miR‐146, miR‐191, miR‐192, miR‐219, miR‐222, and miR‐223, which regulate stress response, apoptosis, proliferation, an‐giogenesis, and expression of genes. In contrast, miR‐294, an inhibitor of transcriptional repressor genes, was up‐regulated by ECS. There was a strong parallelism in dysregulation of rodent microRNAs and their human homologues, which are often transcribed from genes localized in fragile sites deleted in lung cancer. Five ECS‐down‐regulated microRNAs are known to be affected by single nucleotide polymorphisms. Thus, changes in microRNA expression are an early event following exposure to cigarette smoke.— Izzotti, A., Calin, G. A., Arrigo, P., Steele, V. E., Croce, C. M., De Flora, S. Downregulation of microRNA expression in the lungs of rats exposed to cigarette smoke. FASEB J. 23, 806–812 (2009)

Targeting the AKT protein kinase for cancer chemoprevention

The AKT protein kinase transduces signals from growth factors and oncogenes to downstream targets that control crucial elements in tumor development. The AKT pathway is one of the most frequently hyperactivated signaling pathways in human cancers. Available data are reviewed herein to support targeting the AKT kinase for cancer prevention. This review will present data to show that AKT is up-regulated in preneoplastic lesions across a broad range of target tissues, briefly describe drug development efforts in this area, and present evidence that down-regulation of AKT signaling may be a viable strategy to prevent cancer. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(8):2139–48]

Progress in cancer chemoprevention.

ABSTRACT More than 40 promising agents and agent combinations are being evaluated clinically as chemopreventive drugs for major cancer targets. A few have been in vanguard, large‐scale intervention trials‐for example, the studies of tamoxifen and fenretinide in breast, 13‐cis‐retinoic acid in head and neck, vitamin E and selenium in prostate, and calcium in colon. These and other agents are currently in phase II chemoprevention trials to establish the scope of their chemopreventive efficacy and to develop intermediate biomarkers as surrogate end points for cancer incidence in future studies. In this group are fenretinide, 2‐difluoromethylornithine, and oltipraz. Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatories (NSAID) are also in this group because of their colon cancer chemopreventive effects in clinical intervention, epidemiological, and animal studies. New agents are continually considered for development as chemopreventive drugs. Preventive strategies with antiandrogens are evolving for prostate cancer. Anti‐inflammatories that selectively inhibit inducible cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 are being investigated in colon as alternatives to the NSAID, which inhibit both COX‐1 and COX‐2 and derive their toxicity from COX‐1 inhibition. Newer retinoids with reduced toxicity, increased efficacy, or both (e.g., 9‐cis‐retinoic acid) are being investigated. Promising chemopreventive drugs are also being developed from dietary substances (e.g., green and black tea polyphenols, soy isoflavones, curcumin, phenethyl isothiocyanate, sulforaphane, lycopene, indole‐3‐carbinol, perillyl alcohol). Basic and translational research necessary to progress in chemopreventive agent development includes, for example, (1) molecular and genomic biomarkers that can be used for risk assessment and as surrogate end points in clinical studies, (2) animal carcinogenesis models that mimic human disease (including transgenic and gene knockout mice), and (3) novel agent treatment regimens (e.g., local delivery to cancer targets, agent combinations, and pharmacodynamically guided dosing).

Relationships of microRNA expression in mouse lung with age and exposure to cigarette smoke and light

MicroRNAs provide a formidable tool not only in cancer research but also to investigate physiological mechanisms and to assess the effect of environmental exposures in healthy tissues. Collectively, cigarette smoke and sunlight have been estimated to account for 40% of all human cancers, and not only smoke but also, surprisingly, UV light induced genomic and postgenomic alterations in mouse lung. Here we evaluated by microarray the expression of 484 microRNAs in the lungs of CD‐1 mice, including new‐borns, postweanling males and females, and their dams, either untreated or exposed to environmental cigarette smoke and/or UV‐containing light. The results obtained highlighted age‐related variations in microRNA profiles, especially during the weanling period, due to perinatal stress and postnatal maturation of the lung. UV light alone did not affect pulmonary microRNAs, whereas smoke produced dramatic changes, mostly in the sense of down‐regulation, reflecting both adaptive mechanisms and activation of pathways involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases. Both gender and age affected smoke‐related microRNA dysregulation in mice. The data presented provide supporting evidence that microRNAs play a fundamental role in both physiological and pathological changes occurring in mouse lung.—Izzotti, A., Calin, G. A., Vernon E. St., Croce, G. M., De Flora, S. Relationships of microRNA expression in mouse lung with age and exposure to cigarette smoke and light. FASEB J. 23, 3243–3250 (2009). www.fasebj.org

Chemoprevention of Prostate Cancer: Concepts and Strategies

Chemoprevention is the administration of agents to prevent induction and inhibit or delay progression of cancers. For prostate, as for other cancer targets, successful chemopreventive strategies require well-characterized agents, suitable cohorts, and reliable intermediate biomarkers of cancer for evaluating chemopreventive efficacy. Agent requirements are experimental or epidemiological data showing chemopreventive efficacy, safety on chronic administration, and a mechanistic rationale for the observed chemopreventive activity. On this basis, promising chemopreventive drugs in prostate include retinoids, antiandrogens, antiestrogens, steroid aromatase inhibitors, 5α-reductase inhibitors, vitamins D and E, selenium, lycopene, and 2-difluoromethylornithine. Phase II trials are critical for evaluating chemopreventive efficacy. Cohorts in these trials should be suitable for measuring the chemopreventive activity of the agent and the intermediate biomarkers chosen as endpoints. Many cohorts proposed for phase II trials are patients with previous cancers or premalignant lesions. For such patients, trials should be conducted within the context of standard treatment. Two cohorts currently used in phase II prostate cancer chemoprevention trials are patients with PIN and patients scheduled for prostate cancer surgery. Biomarkers should fit expected biological mechanisms, be assayed reliably and quantitatively, measured easily, and correlate to decreased cancer incidence. Protocols for adequately sampling tissue are essential. Changes in PIN provide prostate biomarkers with the ability to be quantified and a high correlation to cancer. PIN measurements include nuclear polymorphism, nucleolar size and number of nucleoli/nuclei, and DNA ploidy. Other potentially useful biomarkers are associated with cellular proliferation kinetics (e.g. PCNA and apoptosis), differentiation (e.g. blood group antigens, vimentin), genetic damage (e.g. LOH on chromosome 8), signal transduction (e.g. TGFα, TGFβ, IGF-I, c-erbB-2 expression), angiogenesis, and biochemical changes (e.g. PSA levels).

Chemoprevention of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis by Low Doses of Atorvastatin and Celecoxib Given Individually and in Combination to APCMin Mice

Preclinical and clinical studies have established evidence that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors and statins [hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR) inhibitors] inhibit colon carcinogenesis. Chronic use of high doses of COX-2 inhibitors may induce side effects, and combining the low doses of agents may be an effective way to increase their efficacy and minimize the side effects. We assessed the chemopreventive efficacy of atorvastatin (Lipitor) and celecoxib individually or in combination in an animal model of familial adenomatous polyposis. Six-week-old male C57BL/6J-APCmin/+ mice were either fed diets containing 0 or 100 ppm atorvastatin or 300 ppm celecoxib, or a combination of both for approximately 80 days. Mice were sacrificed, and their intestines were scored for tumors. Normal-seeming mucosa and intestinal tumors were harvested and assayed for apoptosis (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling) and HMGR and COX-2 protein expression and activity. We observed that 100 ppm atorvastatin significantly (P < 0.002) suppressed intestinal polyp formation. As anticipated, 300 ppm celecoxib decreased the rate of formation of intestinal polyps by approximately 70% (P < 0.0001). Importantly, the combination of 100 ppm atorvastatin and 300 ppm celecoxib in the diet suppressed the colon polyps completely and small intestinal polyps by >86% (P < 0.0001) compared with the control group. The inhibition of tumor formation by the atorvastatin and celecoxib combination was significant (P < 0.005) when compared with tumor inhibition by celecoxib alone. In addition, increased rates of apoptosis in intestinal tumors (P < 0.01-0.0001) were observed in animals fed with atorvastatin and celecoxib and more so with the combinations. Tumors of animals fed atorvastatin showed a significant decrease in HMGR-R activity. Similarly, tumors of mice exposed to celecoxib showed significantly lower levels of COX-2 activity. These observations show that atorvastatin inhibits intestinal tumorigenesis and that, importantly, when given together with low doses of celecoxib, it significantly increases the chemopreventive efficacy in an APC(min) mice.

Risk biomarkers and current strategies for cancer chemoprevention.

Quantifiable, well‐characterized cancer risk factors demonstrate the need for chemoprevention and define cohorts for chemopreventive intervention. For chemoprevention, the important cancer risk factors are those that can be measured quantitatively in the subject at risk. These factors, called risk biomarkers, can be used to identify cohorts for chemoprevention. Those modulated by chemopreventive agents may also be used as endpoints in chemoprevention studies. Generally, the risk biomarkers fit into categories based on those previously defined by Hulka: 1) carcinogen exposure, 2) carcinogen exposure/effect, 3) genetic predisposition, 4) intermediate biomarkers of cancer, and 5) previous cancers.

Chemoprevention by Lipoxygenase and Leukotriene Pathway Inhibitors of Vinyl Carbamate-induced Lung Tumors in Mice

5-Leukotriene pathway inhibitors, Accolate, MK-886, and Zileuton, were evaluated as chemopreventive agents in female strain A mice. The mice were administered by injection vinyl carbamate (2 x 16 mg/kg) to induce lung tumors. Two weeks later, they received in their diet Accolate (270 and 540 mg/kg), MK-886 (30 mg/kg), Zileuton (600 and 1200 mg/kg), or combinations containing the lower concentration of two agents. Thirteen weeks later, Accolate, Zileuton (only the high concentration), and combinations of Zileuton with either Accolate or MK-886 reduced lung tumor multiplicity. At week 43, MK-886, Accolate, and Zileuton reduced lung tumor multiplicity by 37.8, 29.5, and 28.1%, respectively. They also decreased the size of the tumors and the yield of carcinomas. These results demonstrate that leukotriene inhibitors prevent lung tumors and slow the growth and progression of adenomas to carcinoma; leukotriene inhibitors warrant further consideration for potential use in humans.

Chemoprevention of Cigarette Smoke–Induced Alterations of MicroRNA Expression in Rat Lungs

We previously showed that exposure to environmental cigarette smoke (ECS) for 28 days causes extensive downregulation of microRNA expression in the lungs of rats, resulting in the overexpression of multiple genes and proteins. In the present study, we evaluated by microarray the expression of 484 microRNAs in the lungs of either ECS-free or ECS-exposed rats treated with the orally administered chemopreventive agents N-acetylcysteine, oltipraz, indole-3-carbinol, 5,6-benzoflavone, and phenethyl isothiocyanate (as single agents or in combinations). This is the first study of microRNA modulation by chemopreventive agents in nonmalignant tissues. Scatterplot, hierarchical cluster, and principal component analyses of microarray and quantitative PCR data showed that none of the above chemopreventive regimens appreciably affected the baseline microRNA expression, indicating potential safety. On the other hand, all of them attenuated ECS-induced alterations but to a variable extent and with different patterns, indicating potential preventive efficacy. The main ECS-altered functions that were modulated by chemopreventive agents included cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, Ras activation, P53 functions, NF-κB pathway, transforming growth factor–related stress response, and angiogenesis. Some microRNAs known to be polymorphic in humans were downregulated by ECS and were protected by chemopreventive agents. This study provides proof-of-concept and validation of technology that we are further refining to screen and prioritize potential agents for continued development and to help elucidate their biological effects and mechanisms. Therefore, microRNA analysis may provide a new tool for predicting at early carcinogenesis stages both the potential safety and efficacy of cancer chemopreventive agents. Cancer Prev Res; 3(1); 62–72

Prevention of Azoxymethane-Induced Colon Cancer by Combination of Low Doses of Atorvastatin, Aspirin, and Celecoxib in F 344 Rats

Preclinical and clinical studies have provided evidence that aspirin, celecoxib, (cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor), and statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase inhibitors) inhibit colon carcinogenesis. Chronic use of high doses of these agents may induce side effects in ostensibly normal individuals. Combining low doses of agents may be an effective way to increase their efficacy and minimize toxicity. We assessed the efficacy of atorvastatin (lipitor), celecoxib, and aspirin, given individually at high dose levels and in combination at lower doses against azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis, in male F 344 rats. One day after the last azoxymethane treatment (15 mg/kg body weight, s.c., once weekly for 2 weeks), groups of male F 344 rats were fed the AIN-76A diet or AIN-76A diet containing 150 ppm atorvastatin, 600 ppm celecoxib, and 400 ppm aspirin, 100 ppm atorvastatin + 300 ppm celecoxib, and 100 ppm atorvastatin + 200 ppm aspirin. Rats were killed 42 weeks later, and colon tumors were processed histopathologically and analyzed for cell proliferation and apoptosis immunohistochemically. Administration of these agents individually and in combination significantly suppressed the incidence and multiplicity of colon adenocarcinomas. Low doses of these agents in combination inhibited colon carcinogenesis more effectively than when they were given individually at higher doses. Inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by these agents is associated with the inhibition of cell proliferation and increase in apoptosis in colon tumors. These observations are of clinical significance because this can pave the way for the use of combinations of these agents in small doses against colon cancer.