birinapant and Disease-Models--Animal

Patients diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) often suffer from disease relapse associated with the emergence of resistance to standard platinum‑based chemotherapy. Treatment of patients with chemo‑resistant disease remains a clinical challenge. One mechanism of chemoresistance includes overexpression of pro‑survival proteins called inhibitors of apoptosis (IAP) which enable cancer cells to evade apoptosis. Due to their anti‑apoptotic activity, association with poor prognosis, and correlation with therapy resistance in multiple malignancies, IAP proteins have become an attractive target for development of anticancer therapeutics. Second mitochondrial activator of caspase (SMAC) mimetics are the most widely used IAP antagonists currently being tested in clinical trials as a monotherapy and in combination with different chemotherapeutic drugs to target different types of cancer. In the present study, the antitumor efficacy of combination therapy with birinapant, a bivalent SMAC mimetic compound, and carboplatin to target platinum‑resistant EOC cells was investigated. A 3D organoid bioassay was utilized to test the efficacy of the combination therapy in a panel of 7 EOC cell lines and 10 platinum‑resistant primary patient tumor samples. Findings from the

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Carboplatin; Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; Cell Line, Tumor; Dipeptides; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Combinations; Female; Humans; Indoles; Mice

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global health threat and affects hundreds of millions worldwide. Small molecule compounds that mimic natural antagonists of inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins, known as Smac-mimetics (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases-mimetics), can promote the death of HBV-replicating liver cells and promote clearance of infection in preclinical models of HBV infection. The Smac-mimetic birinapant is a substrate of the multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) efflux pump, and therefore inhibitors of MDR1 increase intracellular concentration of birinapant in MDR1 expressing cells. Liver cells are known to express MDR1 and other drug pump proteins. In this study, we investigated whether combining the clinical drugs, birinapant and the MDR1 inhibitor zosuquidar, increases the efficacy of birinapant in killing HBV expressing liver cells. We showed that this combination treatment is well tolerated and, compared to birinapant single agent, was more efficient at inducing death of HBV-positive liver cells and improving HBV-DNA and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) control kinetics in an immunocompetent mouse model of HBV infection. Thus, this study identifies a novel and safe combinatorial treatment strategy to potentiate substantial reduction of HBV replication using an IAP antagonist.

Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1; Dibenzocycloheptenes; Dipeptides; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Hep G2 Cells; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B, Chronic; Humans; Indoles; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; Liver; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Quinolines; Virus Replication

It was demonstrated that second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) mimetic inhibites tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3) degradation and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway activation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro. However, the effect of Smac mimetic in vivo is not clear. The present study was to investigate the role of Smac mimetic in LPS-induced liver injury in mice and its possible mechanism. An animal model of LPS-induced liver injury was established by intraperitoneally injecting mice with 10mg/kg LPS pretreatment with or without Smac mimetic birinapant (30mg/kg body weight). Birinapant significantly improved the survival rate of endotoxemic mice (P<0.05) and attenuated LPS-induced liver pathologic damage and inflammatory response. IL-1 and TNF-α levels in the serum were markedly decreased in birinapant pretreatment mice compared with control mice (P<0.05).The cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1 (cIAP1) expression in liver resident macrophage (Kupffer cells, KCs) was significantly decreased in the Birinapant group compared to the Vehicle group (P<0.05). At the same time, total TRAF3 protein abundance in KCs rapidly declined after LPS stimulation in the Vehicle group. However, it remained constant in the Birinapant group. Moreover, K48-linked polyubiquitination of TRAF3 in KCs was markedly impressed in the birinapant group compared with the control group. At last, the JNK and p38 MAPK activation in KCs was significantly inhibited by birinapant pretreatment (P<0.05). These results suggested that birinapant attenuated liver injury and improved survival rates in endotoxemic mice by inhibited the expression of cIAP1, degradation of TRAF3 and aviation of MAPK signaling pathway.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; Biomimetics; Carrier Proteins; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Dipeptides; Disease Models, Animal; Endotoxemia; Humans; Indoles; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; Interleukin-1; Kupffer Cells; Lipopolysaccharides; Liver; Male; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mitochondrial Proteins; Proteolysis; TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 3; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases

We have shown that cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) impair clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection by preventing TNF-mediated killing/death of infected cells. A key question, with profound therapeutic implications, is whether this finding can be translated to the development of drugs that promote elimination of infected cells. Drug inhibitors of cIAPs were developed as cancer therapeutics to promote TNF-mediated tumor killing. These drugs are also known as Smac mimetics, because they mimic the action of the endogenous protein Smac/Diablo that antagonizes cIAP function. Here, we show using an immunocompetent mouse model of chronic HBV infection that birinapant and other Smac mimetics are able to rapidly reduce serum HBV DNA and serum HBV surface antigen, and they promote the elimination of hepatocytes containing HBV core antigen. The efficacy of Smac mimetics in treating HBV infection is dependent on their chemistry, host CD4(+) T cells, and TNF. Birinapant enhances the ability of entecavir, an antiviral nucleoside analog, to reduce viral DNA production in HBV-infected animals. These results indicate that birinapant and other Smac mimetics may have efficacy in treating HBV infection and perhaps, other intracellular infections.

Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Dipeptides; Disease Models, Animal; DNA, Viral; Guanine; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatocytes; Immunophenotyping; Indoles; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; Liver; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Plasmids

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) promote cancer cell survival and confer resistance to therapy. We report on the ability of second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases mimetic, birinapant, which acts as antagonist to cIAP1 and cIAP2, to restore the sensitivity to apoptotic stimuli such as TNF-α in melanomas.. Seventeen melanoma cell lines, representing five major genetic subgroups of cutaneous melanoma, were treated with birinapant as a single agent or in combination with TNF-α. Effects on cell viability, target inhibition, and initiation of apoptosis were assessed and findings were validated in 2-dimensional (2D), 3D spheroid, and in vivo xenograft models.. When birinapant was combined with TNF-α, strong combination activity, that is, neither compound was effective individually but the combination was highly effective, was observed in 12 of 18 cell lines. This response was conserved in spheroid models, whereas in vivo birinapant inhibited tumor growth without adding TNF-α in in vitro resistant cell lines. Birinapant combined with TNF-α inhibited the growth of a melanoma cell line with acquired resistance to BRAF inhibition to the same extent as in the parental cell line.. Birinapant in combination with TNF-α exhibits a strong antimelanoma effect in vitro. Birinapant as a single agent shows in vivo antitumor activity, even if cells are resistant to single agent therapy in vitro. Birinapant in combination with TNF-α is effective in a melanoma cell line with acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing 3 Protein; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Dipeptides; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Indoles; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Melanoma; Mice; Mitochondrial Proteins; Molecular Mimicry; Spheroids, Cellular; Tumor Burden; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays