benzofurans and Kidney-Neoplasms

Everolimus monotherapy use for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has diminished due to recent approvals of immune checkpoint and VEGF inhibitors. We hypothesized that gene expression associated with everolimus benefit may provide rationale to select appropriate patients. To address this hypothesis, tumors from a phase I/II trial that compared everolimus alone or with BNC105P, a vascular disrupting agent, were profiled using Nanostring as a discovery cohort. A phase III trial (CheckMate 025) was used for validation. Clinical benefit (CB) was defined as response or stable disease for ≥6 months. A propensity score covariate adjustment was used, and model discrimination performance was assessed using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). In a discovery cohort of 82 patients, 35 (43%) were treated with everolimus alone and 47 (57%) received everolimus + BNC105P. Median PFS (mPFS) was 4.9 (95% CI, 2.8-6.2) months. A four-gene signature (ASXL1, DUSP6, ERCC2, and HSPA6) correlated with CB with everolimus ± BNC105P [AUC, 86.9% (95% CI, 79.2-94.7)]. This was validated in 130 patients from CheckMate 025 treated with everolimus [AUC, 60.2% (95% CI, 49.7-70.7)]. Among 43 patients (52.4%) with low expression of an 18-gene signature, everolimus + BNC105P was associated with significantly longer mPFS compared with everolimus alone (10.4 vs. 6.9 months; HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.24-1.002;

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Benzofurans; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; Everolimus; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Kidney Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Organophosphates; Prognosis; Survival Rate; Transcriptome; Validation Studies as Topic

Topics: Acetylation; Adult; Aged; Alanine Transaminase; Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Benzofurans; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; Disease Progression; Disease-Free Survival; Drug Resistance; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Epigenesis, Genetic; Fatigue; Female; Gene Expression; Histone Deacetylase 2; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; Histones; Humans; Hydroxamic Acids; Indazoles; Kidney Neoplasms; Male; Maximum Tolerated Dose; Middle Aged; Neutropenia; Pyrimidines; Sulfonamides; Thrombocytopenia; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Young Adult

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is deregulated in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and associated with poor prognosis, and is activated and regulated by Mnk kinases. In this study, we investigated the anti-RCC potential of a unique Mnk inhibitor cercosporamide. We showed that cercosporamide is active against RCC cells via suppressing growth, survival and migration. Combination indices value indicated that the combination of cercosporamide with sunitinib or temsirolimus are synergistic in RCC. In two independent RCC xenograft mouse models, complete tumor growth arrest or reverse was observed throughout the duration of drug treatment in the combination of cercosporamide with sunitinib or temsirolimus groups. Of note, cercosporamide inhibited RCC angiogenesis via negatively regulating a number of RCC endothelial cellular events including morphogenesis, migration, growth and survival. Mechanistically, we found that cercosporamide suppressed pro-angiogenic factors VEGF and HIFα, inhibited EMT and reduced pro-survival and cell cycle proteins; and furthermore this was attributed to cercosporamide's ability in inhibiting eIF4E. This work demonstrates the anti-RCC activity of cercosporamide through targeting both RCC tumor cells and angiogenesis, and provides the first preclinical proof-of-concept of evidence of Mnk inhibition for RCC treatment.

Topics: Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Benzofurans; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Synergism; Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4E; Humans; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Kidney Neoplasms; Mice, SCID; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Sirolimus; Sunitinib; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Rocaglamide has been reported to sensitize several cell types to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In recent years, advances in synthetic techniques have led to generation of novel rocaglamide analogs. However, these have not been extensively analyzed as TRAIL sensitizers, particularly in TRAIL-resistant renal cell carcinoma cells. Evaluation of rocaglamide and analogs identified 29 compounds that are able to sensitize TRAIL-resistant ACHN cells to TRAIL-induced, caspase-dependent apoptosis with sub-µM potency which correlated with their potency as protein synthesis inhibitors and with loss of cFLIP protein in the same cells. Rocaglamide alone induced cell cycle arrest, but not apoptosis. Rocaglates averaged 4-5-fold higher potency as TRAIL sensitizers than as protein synthesis inhibitors suggesting a potential window for maximizing TRAIL sensitization while minimizing effects of general protein synthesis inhibition. A wide range of other rocaglate effects (e.g. on JNK or RAF-MEK-ERK signaling, death receptor levels, ROS, ER stress, eIF4E phosphorylation) were assessed, but did not contribute to TRAIL sensitization. Other than a rapid loss of MCL-1, rocaglates had minimal effects on mitochondrial apoptotic pathway proteins. The identification of structurally diverse/mechanistically similar TRAIL sensitizing rocaglates provides insights into both rocaglate structure and function and potential further development for use in RCC-directed combination therapy.

Topics: Apoptosis; Benzofurans; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein; Cell Line, Tumor; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Humans; Kidney Neoplasms; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand

Topics: Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Benzofurans; Histone Deacetylases; Humans; Hydroxamic Acids; Indazoles; Kidney Neoplasms; Pyrimidines; Sulfonamides

BNC105 is a tubulin targeting compound that selectively disrupts vasculature within solid tumors. The severe tumor hypoxia and necrosis that ensues translates to short term tumor growth inhibition. We sought to identify the molecular and cellular events activated following BNC105 treatment that drives tumor recovery. We investigated tumor adaptation to BNC105-induced hypoxia in animal models of breast and renal cancer. HIF-1α and GLUT-1 were found to be strongly upregulated by BNC105 as was the VEGF signaling axis. Phosphorylation of mTOR, 4E-BP-1 and elF2α were upregulated, consistent with increased protein synthesis and increased expression of VEGF-A. We sought to investigate the potential therapeutic utility of combining BNC105 with agents targeting VEGF and mTOR signaling. Bevacizumab and pazopanib target the VEGF axis and have been approved for first line use in renal cancer. Everolimus targets mTOR and is currently approved in second line therapy of renal and particular breast cancers. We combined these agents with BNC105 to explore the effects on tumor vasculature, tumor growth inhibition and animal survival. Bevacizumab hindered tumor vascular recovery following BNC105 treatment leading to greater tumor growth inhibition in a breast cancer model. Consistent with this, addition of BNC105 to pazopanib treatment resulted in a significant increase in survival in an orthotopic renal cancer model. Combination treatment of BNC105 with everolimus also increased tumor growth inhibition. BNC105 is currently being evaluated in a randomized phase II clinical trial in combination with everolimus in renal cancer.

Topics: Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Animals; Anisoles; Antineoplastic Agents; Benzofurans; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Synergism; Female; Humans; Kidney Neoplasms; Mice; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; Tumor Burden; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Topics: Animals; Benzofurans; Ear Neoplasms; Female; Kidney Neoplasms; Male; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental; Neoplasms, Experimental; Rats; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms