3-(1-deoxyribofuranosyl)benzamide and Necrosis

Benzamide riboside (BR) after anabolism to an analogue of NAD, was shown to inhibit the activity of NAD-dependent enzymes such as inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), the rate limiting enzyme in de novo guanylate biosynthesis, and malate dehydrogenase which is involved in the citric cycle and respiratory chain. BR exhibits strong anti-carcinogenic effects due to growth retardation and due to induction of apoptosis and necrosis. Apoptosis is ascribed to the inhibition of IMPDH because cell death can be blocked by restoring intracellular guanylate metabolism by the addition of guanosine. It is shown here, however, that also survival-relevant genes such as cdc25A, akt, bcl-2 and transferrin receptor become repressed by BR, whereas the expression level of the apoptosis enforcing gene c-myc persists. Even though BR-mediated growth retardation still allows BR to induce apoptosis, rapamycin-mediated cell cycle block and cell contact inhibition prevent cell death, it strongly suggests that BR induces a type of c-Myc-dependent apoptosis. At high concentrations BR induces DNA double strand breaks by yet to be determined mechanisms that occur hours before necrosis can be detected. This is accompanied by a dramatic decrease of intracellular ATP. The artificial restoration of ATP by addition of adenosine or sufficient provision of an energy source such as glucose prevents BR-promoted necrosis and favors apoptosis. This observation may be of clinical relevance.

Topics: Apoptosis; Cell Division; DNA Damage; Enzyme Inhibitors; Female; Gene Expression; Glucose; Guanosine Triphosphate; HL-60 Cells; Humans; IMP Dehydrogenase; Necrosis; Neoplasms; Nucleosides; Tumor Cells, Cultured

A new synthetic drug, benzamide riboside (BR) exhibited strong oncolytic activity against leukemic cells in the 5-10 microM range. Higher BR-concentrations (20 microM) predominantly induced necrosis which correlated with DNA strand breaks and subsequent depletion of ATP- and dATP levels. Replenishment of the ATP pool by addition of adenosine prevented necrosis and favoured apoptosis. This effect was not a pecularity of BR-treatment, but was reproduced with high concentrations of all trans-retinoic acid (120 microM) and cyanide (20 mM). Glucose was also capable to suppress necrosis and to favour apoptosis of HL-60 cells, which had been treated with necrotic doses of BR and cyanide. Apoptosis eliminates unwanted cells without affecting the microenvironment, whereas necrosis causes severe inflammation of surrounding tissues due to spillage of cell fluids into the peri-cellular space. Thus, the monitoring and maintenance of cellular energy pools during therapeutic drug treatment may help to minimize nonspecific side effects and to improve attempted drug effects.

Topics: Adenosine; Adenosine Triphosphate; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Benzamides; Comet Assay; Deoxyadenine Nucleotides; Deoxycytosine Nucleotides; Deoxyribonucleotides; DNA Damage; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Inhibitors; HL-60 Cells; Humans; IMP Dehydrogenase; Necrosis; Nucleosides; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors; Potassium Cyanide; Tretinoin