digoxin and Glioblastoma

Topics: Brain Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Digoxin; Glioblastoma; Humans; Oncolytic Viruses; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Zika Virus

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common brain tumor in adults and the mesenchymal GBM subtype was reported to be the most malignant, presenting severe hypoxia and necrosis. Here, we investigated the possible role of a hypoxic microenvironment for inducing a mesenchymal and invasive phenotype. The exposure of non-mesenchymal SNB75 and U87 cells to hypoxia induced a strong change in cell morphology that was accompanied by enhanced invasive capacity and the acquisition of mesenchymal marker expression. Further analyses showed the induction of HIF1α and HIF2α by hypoxia and exposure to digoxin, a cardiac glycoside known to inhibit HIF1/2 expression, was able to prevent hypoxia-induced mesenchymal transition. ShRNA-mediated knockdown of HIF1α, and not HIF2α, prevented this transition, as well as the knockdown of the EMT transcription factor ZEB1. We provide further evidence for a hypoxia-induced mesenchymal shift in GBM primary material by showing co-localization of GLUT1, ZEB1 and the mesenchymal marker YKL40 in hypoxic regions of the tumor. Collectively, our results identify a HIF1α-ZEB1 signaling axis that promotes hypoxia induced mesenchymal shift and invasion in GBM in a cell line dependent fashion.

Topics: Adipokines; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors; Brain Neoplasms; Cell Hypoxia; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Cell Shape; Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; Digoxin; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Glioblastoma; Glucose Transporter Type 1; Homeodomain Proteins; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Lectins; Necrosis; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Phenotype; RNA Interference; Signal Transduction; Transcription Factors; Transfection; Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1

Tissue hypoxia and necrosis represent pathophysiologic and histologic hallmarks of glioblastoma (GBM). Although hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) plays crucial roles in the malignant phenotypes of GBM, developing HIF-1α-targeted agents has been hampered by the lack of a suitable preclinical model that recapitulates the complex biology of clinical GBM. We present a new GBM model, MGG123, which was established from a recurrent human GBM. Orthotopic xenografting of stem-like MGG123 cells reproducibly generated lethal tumors that were characterized by foci of palisading necrosis, hypervascularity, and robust stem cell marker expression. Perinecrotic neoplastic cells distinctively express HIF-1α and are proliferative in both xenografts and the patient tissue. The xenografts contain scattered hypoxic foci that were consistently greater than 50 μm distant from blood vessels, indicating intratumoral heterogeneity of oxygenation. Hypoxia enhanced HIF-1α expression in cultured MGG123 cells, which was abrogated by the HIF-1α inhibitors digoxin or ouabain. In vivo, treatment of orthotopic MGG123 xenografts with digoxin decreased HIF-1α expression, vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA levels, and CD34-positive vasculature within the tumors, and extended survival of mice bearing the aggressive MGG123 GBM. This preclinical tumor model faithfully recapitulates the GBM-relevant hypoxic microenvironment and stemness and is a suitable platform for studying disease biology and developing hypoxia-targeted agents.

Topics: Animals; Antigens, CD; Brain Neoplasms; Cell Hypoxia; Cell Line, Tumor; Cohort Studies; Digoxin; Disease Models, Animal; Enzyme Inhibitors; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Glioblastoma; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Ki-67 Antigen; Mice; Mice, SCID; Middle Aged; SOXB1 Transcription Factors; Tumor Microenvironment; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common and invasive astrocytic tumor associated with dismal prognosis. Treatment for GBM patients has advanced, but the median survival remains a meager 15 months. In a recent study, 20,000 genes from 21 GBM patients were sequenced that identified frequent mutations in ion channel genes. The goal of this study was to determine whether ion channel mutations have a role in disease progression and whether molecular targeting of ion channels is a promising therapeutic strategy for GBM patients. Therefore, we compared GBM patient survival on the basis of presence or absence of mutations in calcium, potassium and sodium ion transport genes. Cardiac glycosides, known sodium channel inhibitors, were then tested for their ability to inhibit GBM cell proliferation.. Nearly 90% of patients showed at least one mutation in ion transport genes. GBM patients with mutations in sodium channels showed a significantly shorter survival compared to patients with no sodium channel mutations, whereas a similar comparison based on mutational status of calcium or potassium ion channel mutations showed no survival differences. Experimentally, targeting GBM cells with cardiac glycosides such as digoxin and ouabain demonstrated preferential cytotoxicity against U-87 and D54 GBM cells compared to non-tumor astrocytes (NTAs).. These pilot studies of GBM patients with sodium channel mutations indicate an association with a more aggressive disease and significantly shorter survival. Moreover, inhibition of GBM cells by ion channel inhibitors such as cardiac glycosides suggest a therapeutic strategy with relatively safe drugs for targeting GBM ion channel mutations. Key Words: glioblastoma multiforme, ion channels, mutations, small molecule inhibitors, cardiac glycosides.

Topics: Apoptosis; Brain Neoplasms; Calcium Channels; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Digoxin; Glioblastoma; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mutation; Ouabain; Potassium Channels; Sodium Channels; Survival Analysis

The study assessed the isoprenoid pathway, digoxin synthesis, and neurotransmitter patterns in individuals of differing hemispheric dominance, neurogenetic disorders, and neoplasms. The HMG CoA reductase activity, serum digoxin, magnesium, tryptophan catabolites, tyrosine catabolites, and RBC membrane Na+-K+ ATPase activity were measured in individuals of differing hemispheric dominance. The digoxin status, membrane Na+-K+ ATPase activity, and serum magnesium were assessed in Huntington's disease, trisomy 21, glioblastoma multiforme, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (high grade lymphoma). The results showed that right hemispheric, chemically dominant individuals had elevated digoxin synthesis, increased tryptophan catabolites, and reduced tyrosine catabolites, and membrane Na+-K+ ATPase with hypomagnesemia. Left hemispheric, chemically dominant individuals had the opposite patterns. In neurogenetic disorders and neo plasms also hyperdigoxinemia induced membrane Na+-K+ ATPase inhibition, and hypomagnesemia similar to right hemispheric chemical dominance could be demonstrated. The role of hemispheric chemical dominance and hypothalamic digoxin secretion play a key role in the regulation of cell differentiation/proliferation and genomic function. Ninety-five percent of the patients with neurogenetic disorders and neoplasms were right-handed/left hemispheric dominant by dichotic listening test. However, all of them had biochemical patterns similar to right hemispheric chemical dominance. Hemispheric chemical dominance has no correlation to cerebral dominance detected by handness/dichotic listening test.

Topics: Adult; Brain; Brain Neoplasms; Cell Division; Cell Membrane; Cell Movement; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Digoxin; Down Syndrome; Functional Laterality; Genome, Human; Glioblastoma; Humans; Huntington Disease; Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Magnesium; Neurons; Ouabain