maxacalcitol and Osteosarcoma

Pulmonary metastasis is a major cause of death and a major obstacle to the successful treatment of canine osteosarcoma. However, the residual capacity of the neoplasia for differentiation and its susceptibility to undergo apoptosis may be used to suppress its growth and metastatic properties. The highly metastasizing POS (HMPOS) canine osteosarcoma cell line which preferentially metastasize to the lungs was used to test the possible efficacy of 22-oxa-calcitriol (OCT) and all- trans retinoic acid (ATRA) to inhibit growth and pulmonary metastasis of the subcutaneously grown osteosarcoma in nude mice. Treatments in vitro, morphologically elongated and increased alkaline phosphatase activity and staining of cells. Tumour growth in vivo was inhibited significantly and the combination treatment of OCT and ATRA (OCT + ATRA) exerted a synergistic and stronger suppression at concentration of 1.0 microg kg(-1)body weight when given subcutaneously three times a week for 5 weeks. The subcutaneous tumours of the control mice consisted of osteoblast-like cells and isolated chondroblast-like cells, but formed several areas of osteoid and increased amount of collagen tissue in all treated mice. Pinpoint macrometastatic nodules developed only in all control mice. Micrometastatic nodule developed only in two of six mice treated with ATRA. However, nodule size and number, and lung wet weight were all reduced significantly. Metastasis were not seen in the mice treated with OCT or OCT + ATRA. This study demonstrated that inhibition of growth and pulmonary metastasis was induced by subcutaneous treatment with these drugs and suggest that both its differentiating and apoptotic inducing activities may be responsible for the antitumour effects. These drugs may be useful in the clinic as an adjunct for the treatment of canine osteosarcoma.

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Biomarkers; Bone Neoplasms; Calcitriol; Cell Division; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Lung Neoplasms; Mice; Mice, Nude; Osteosarcoma; Transplantation, Heterologous; Tretinoin; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The effects of 22-oxacalcitriol (OCT), calcitriol and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the induction of functional differentiation and growth inhibition of the canine osteosarcoma cell line POS were investigated in vitro via bone differentiation markers and proliferation assays, respectively. The intracellular alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid osteocalcin (GLA-OC) and procollagen type I C peptide (PIP) production were used as markers of differentiation. Treatment with 10(-8) M concentrations of all drugs for 72 h significantly inhibited growth (P < 0.0001) and increased ALP activity and GLA-OC and PIP production in POS. OCT, calcitriol and ATRA significantly increased the: ALP activity from 1.58 +/- 0.14 mumol/min/mg protein (mean +/- SD; control) to 2.50 +/- 0.09 (P < 0.0001), 2.30 +/- 0.14 (P < 0.0001) and 2.00 +/- 0.14 (P = 0.0008), respectively; GLA-OC production from 0.71 +/- 0.01 ng/ml (control) to 2.87 +/- 0.01 (P < 0.0001), 2.87 +/- 0.11 (P < 0.0001) and 1.36 +/- 0.06 (P < 0.0001), respectively; and PIP production from 433.91 +/- 23.29 ng/ml (control) to 536.54 +/- 15.46 (P = 0.0002), 497.06 +/- 1.99 (P = 0.0028) and 481.66 +/- 0.01 (P = 0.0104), respectively. This study demonstrated that treatment with these drugs induced a phenotypic maturation of POS cells into cells that exhibit the properties of functionally mature bone cells with parallel growth inhibition. The effects of these drugs on functional differentiation may be useful to complement the progression of a normal osteogenic differentiation process in the sarcoma.

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Bone Neoplasms; Calcitriol; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Osteocalcin; Osteosarcoma; Peptide Fragments; Procollagen; Tretinoin; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Using four cultured cell models representing liver, keratinocyte, and osteoblast, we have demonstrated that the vitamin D analog, 22-oxacalcitriol is degraded into a variety of hydroxylated and side chain truncated metabolites. Four of these metabolic products have been rigorously identified by high pressure liquid chromatography, diode array spectrophotometry, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis as 24-hydroxylated and 26-hydroxylated derivatives as well as the cleaved molecules, hexanor-1alpha,20-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and hexanor-20-oxo-1alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3. Comparison with chemically synthesized standards has revealed the stereochemistry of the biological products. Although differences exist in the amounts of products formed with the different cell types, it is apparent that 22-oxacalcitriol is subject to metabolism by both vitamin D-inducible and noninducible enzymes. Time course studies suggest that the truncated 20-alcohol is derived from a side chain hydroxylated molecule via a hemiacetal intermediate and the 20-oxo derivative is likely formed from the 20-alcohol. Biological activity measurements of the metabolites identified in our studies are consistent with the view that these are catabolites and that the biological activity of 22-oxacalcitriol is due to the parent compound. These results are also consistent with recent findings of others that the biliary excretory form of 22-oxacalcitriol is a glucuronide ester of the truncated 20-alcohol.

Topics: Animals; Calcitriol; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Growth Substances; Humans; Keratinocytes; Liver; Osteosarcoma; Rats; Receptors, Calcitriol; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tumor Cells, Cultured

22-Oxa-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (oxacalcitriol, or OCT) is a bioactive analogue of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] with lower calcemic activity than the parent compound. We investigated the ability of OCT to stimulate 1) genomic pathways mediated by nuclear receptors for 1,25(OH)2D3 versus 2) nongenomic pathways mediated by voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels in growth phase rat osteosarcoma cells (ROS 17/2.8) and in chick intestine. Effects on nuclear receptor-mediated pathways were evaluated by measuring the ability of OCT to compete with [3H]1,25(OH)2D3 for soluble receptors. We also measured the ability of OCT to increase mRNA encoding osteoblast marker proteins osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OCN), which are both increased by 1,25(OH)2D3. Effects on Ca2+ entry into osteoblasts were measured using 45Ca2+ influx assays. The rapid stimulation of calcium absorption (transcaltachia) in chick intestine treated with OCT also was measured. We found that OCT bound to the nuclear receptor with lower binding affinity [relative competitive index (RCI) = 48.1 for ROS 17/2.8; RCI = 14.8 for chick intestine] than 1,25(OH)2D3 (RCI = 100). Like 1,25(OH)2D3, OCT increased mRNA levels of OPN and OCN in ROS 17/2.8 cells over a 48-h period. In contrast, OCT had no effect on transmembrane influx of 45Ca2+ across ROS cell membranes, whereas uptake was stimulated within 1 min by 1 nM 1,25(OH)2D3. In transcaltachia assays in perfused duodenum, OCT stimulated absorption with a maximum response at 6.5 nM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Binding, Competitive; Biological Transport; Bone Neoplasms; Calcitriol; Calcium; Cell Line; Cell Nucleus; Chickens; Duodenum; Models, Biological; Muscle, Smooth; Osteoblasts; Osteocalcin; Osteosarcoma; Receptors, Calcitriol; RNA, Messenger; Tumor Cells, Cultured

We analyzed the endogenous nuclear 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) receptor (VDR) in rat osteosarcoma (ROS 17/2.8) cells and present biochemical evidence that it is a phosphoprotein. When ROS 17/2.8 cells are labeled metabolically with [35S]methionine, treatment with 10(-8) M 1,25(OH)2D3 elicits a decrease in the electrophoretic mobility of immunoprecipitated VDR in denaturing polyacrylamide gels, a property characteristic of phosphorylated proteins. Similar labeling of cells with [32P]orthophosphate results in a rapid (< or = 30 min), 1,25(OH)2D3-dependent incorporation of 32P into a 54-kDa VDR species that comigrates with the slower migrating receptor species extracted from [35S]methionine-labeled ROS 17/2.8 cells that have been exposed to 1,25(OH)2D3. Alkaline phosphatase treatment of immunoprecipitated VDR from 1,25(OH)2D3-treated cells converts the form of the VDR with reduced mobility to the faster migrating species present in 1,25(OH)2D3-deficient cells. Incubation of ROS 17/2.8 cells with the non-hypercalcemic 1,25(OH)2D3 analog, 22-oxacalcitriol (OCT), produces a level of VDR phosphorylation similar to that elicited by 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment. Transient transfection of osteosarcoma cells with a reporter vector containing a vitamin D responsive element derived from the rat osteocalcin gene yields equivalent transcriptional activation in the presence of either 1,25(OH)2D3 or OCT. Further experiments performed at various 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations to assess the relationship between receptor phosphorylation and transcriptional activity in intact cells showed a positive correlation between these two parameters, indicating that the 1,25(OH)2D3 hormone stimulates VDR phosphorylation and transcriptional activation in parallel. Finally, highly purified casein kinase II (CK-II) phosphorylates the VDR in a 1,25(OH)2D3-independent, in vitro reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Calcitriol; Casein Kinase II; Immunosorbent Techniques; Kinetics; Methionine; Osteoblasts; Osteocalcin; Osteosarcoma; Phosphates; Phosphorylation; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Rats; Receptors, Calcitriol; Receptors, Steroid; Recombinant Proteins; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured

22-Oxacalcitriol (OCT), a synthetic vitamin D analog, can mimic the ability of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3[1,25-(OH)2D3] to differentiate leukemia and skin cells, to enhance the immune response and to suppress PTH secretion, but has much less calcemic activity. The mechanism for this selective action is not understood. OCT has been shown to have a diminished ability to mobilize calcium from bone in vivo, but in vitro findings are contradictory. Little is known about the effect of OCT on bone forming cells. Therefore, the present studies were designed to investigate the actions of OCT at the molecular level in the osteoblast-like cell line, ROS 17/2.8. 3H-OCT was bound to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in intact cells at the same rate as 3H-1,25-(OH)2D3. As previously found for 1,25-(OH)2D3, the time course of specific binding of OCT was biphasic, with an initial plateau at 1 h and a further increase from 2-8 h. Scatchard analysis demonstrated that exposure to 3H-1,25-(OH)2D3 increased VDR from 24 fmol/mg protein at 2 h to 85 fmol/mg protein at 8 h. Exposure to 3H-OCT increased VDR from 22 to 76 fmol/mg protein, indicating that OCT is also capable of up-regulating the VDR in ROS 17/2.8 cells. In contrast to the lower affinity of OCT for VDR reported for chick intestine and HL-60 cells, the Kd for OCT in intact ROS 17/2.8 cells was identical to that for 1,25-(OH)2D3. The effect of OCT on osteocalcin secretion and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in ROS 17/2.8 cells was also determined. Pretreatment for 24 h with either 1,25-(OH)2D3 or OCT resulted in a dose-dependent enhancement of osteocalcin secretion. A 2-fold stimulation by both compounds was observed with 10(-7)M. ALP activity was measured after a 72-h incubation with 10(-7)M 1,25-(OH)2D3 or OCT. Both compounds increased ALP activity to the same extent. Stimulation by OCT of VDR levels, ALP activity, and osteocalcin secretion were inhibited by the addition of 5 microM cycloheximide, indicating that these actions of OCT require new protein synthesis. Thus, OCT, like 1,25-(OH)2D3, up-regulates the vitamin D receptor, stimulates osteocalcin secretion, and increases ALP activity in ROS 17/2.8 cells, suggesting that the analog may be as active as 1,25-(OH)2D3 in stimulating bone formation in vivo. The low activity of OCT in mobilizing calcium from bone in vivo does not appear to be due to an inability of this compound to act on osteoblasts.

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Calcitriol; Cycloheximide; Osteoblasts; Osteocalcin; Osteosarcoma; Rats; Receptors, Calcitriol; Receptors, Steroid; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Up-Regulation

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] is the active hormonal form of vitamin D3 and has potent effects on bone and calcium regulation. Over the past decade it has become apparent that 1,25-(OH)2D3 has other effects on cellular proliferation that potentially could be developed for therapy in human malignancy. Since the hypercalcemic effects of 1,25-(OH)2D3 have limited that use in the human, novel nonhypercalcemic analogs of 1,25-(OH)2D3 have been synthesized. The molecular mechanism of this divergence in these antiproliferative and calcium-regulating actions is unexplained. We have previously examined the human bone-specific gene osteocalcin as a model of the molecular mechanisms of vitamin D action in bone and have shown that induction of the osteocalcin gene by 1,25-(OH)2D3 is mediated through an unique and complex palindromic region of the promoter similar to but distinct from those of other steroid hormone-responsive elements. Using an osteosarcoma cell line permanently transfected with the vitamin D-responsive promoter of the human osteocalcin gene linked to a "reporter" gene, we have shown that there is a dose-dependent induction of CAT activity by 1,25-(OH)2D3 and that the potencies of vitamin D metabolites and analogs are comparable to those found in other vitamin D bioassays. Furthermore, vitamin D analogs, including MC-903, 22-oxa-1,25-(OH)2D3, and delta 22-1,25S,26-trihydroxyvitamin D3, which effect cellular differentiation but lack hypercalcemic activity in vivo, exhibit osteocalcin promoter inductive actions virtually identical to those of 1,25-(OH)2D3. Consideration of these and other data support the hypothesis that the divergent effects of such analogs on differentiation and calcium homeostasis reflect pharmacokinetic differences in vivo rather than distinct 1,25-(OH)2D3-sensitive pathways.

Topics: Animals; Calcitriol; Calcium; Hydroxycholecalciferols; Osteocalcin; Osteosarcoma; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Rats; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured

A new 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 analog, 22-oxa-1,25(OH)2D3, which may have pharmaceutical use, e.g., in the treatment of psoriasis, was studied using cultured MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells. We found that the new compound binds to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptors and regulates receptor mRNA levels like the natural ligand. Our results also indicate that 22-oxa-1,25(OH)2D3 induces the synthesis of osteocalcin and the activity of alkaline phosphatase in MG-63 cells through a receptor-mediated process identically with 1,25(OH)2D3.

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Binding, Competitive; Biological Transport; Calcitriol; Cell Line; Humans; Kinetics; Osteocalcin; Osteosarcoma; Receptors, Calcitriol; Receptors, Steroid; RNA, Neoplasm; Tumor Cells, Cultured