3-5-bis(2-pyridinylmethylidene)-4-piperidone and Pancreatic-Neoplasms

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and NF-κB play essential roles in cancer cell growth and metastasis by promoting angiogenesis. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) serves as a regulator of HIF-1α and NF-κB protein. We hypothesized that curcumin and its analogues EF31 and UBS109 would disrupt angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer (PC) through modulation of HIF-1α and NF-κB. Conditioned medium from MIA PaCa-2 or PANC-1 cells exposed to curcumin and its analogues in vitro significantly impaired angiogenesis in an egg CAM assay and blocked HUVEC tube assembly in comparison to untreated cell medium. In vivo, EF31 and UBS109 blocked the vascularization of subcutaneous matrigel plugs developed by MIA PaCa-2 in mice. Significant inhibition of VEGF, angiopoietin 1, angiopoietin 2, platelet derived growth factor, COX-2, and TGFβ secretion was observed in PC cell lines treated with UBS109, EF31 or curcumin. Treatment with UBS109, EF31 or curcumin inhibited HSP90, NF-κB, and HIF-1α transcription in PC cell lines. UBS109 and EF31 inhibited HSP90 and HIF-1α expression even when elevated due to NF-κB (p65) overexpression. Finally, we demonstrate for the first time that curcumin analogues EF31 and UBS109 induce the downregulation of HIF-1α, Hsp90, COX-2 and VEGF in tumor samples from xenograft models compared to untreated xenografts. Altogether, these results suggest that UBS109 and EF31 are potent curcumin analogues with antiangiogenic activities.

Topics: Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Angiopoietins; Animals; Blotting, Western; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Chick Embryo; Chorioallantoic Membrane; Culture Media, Conditioned; Curcumin; Female; Gene Expression; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Mice, Nude; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Piperidones; Pyridines; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

DNA methylation is a rational therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer. The activity of novel curcumin analogues EF31 and UBS109 as demethylating agents were investigated. MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells were treated with vehicle, curcumin, EF31 or UBS109. EF31 and UBS109 resulted in significantly higher inhibition of proliferation and cytosine methylation than curcumin. Demethylation was associated with re-expression of silenced p16, SPARC, and E-cadherin. EF31 and UBS109 inhibited HSP-90 and NF-κB leading to downregulation of DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT-1) expression. Transfection experiments confirmed this mechanism of action. Similar results were observed in vitro when subcutaneous tumors (MiaPaCa-2) were treated with EF31 and UBS109.

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Western; Cadherins; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Curcumin; Cytosine; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases; DNA Methylation; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Mice; Mice, Nude; Osteonectin; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Piperidones; Pyridines; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays