stilbenes and Precursor-Cell-Lymphoblastic-Leukemia-Lymphoma

The abnormal BCR-ABL oncoprotein is a constitutively active tyrosine kinase driving aberrant proliferation of transformed hematopoietic cells. BCR-ABL regulates activation of many mitogenic and pro-survival pathways, including the PI 3'K/AKT/mTOR pathway that controls various effectors and regulates initiation of mRNA translation in mammalian cells. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target the ABL kinase domain have remarkable clinical activity and have dramatically changed the natural history of Ph+ leukemias, resistance to these agents also develops via a wide range of mechanisms. Efforts to target the PI3'K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway using kinase inhibitors have been the focus of extensive ongoing investigations by several research groups. Here we review the effects of activation of the AMPK kinase, which regulates downstream targeting and inhibition of mTOR. The potential for future clinical-translational applications of AMPK activators such as AICAR, metformin and resveratrol for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are discussed.

Topics: AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; Genes, abl; Hematologic Neoplasms; Humans; Leukemia; Metformin; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Protein Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Resveratrol; Stilbenes; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

ABT-737 belongs to a new class of anticancer agents named BH3 mimetics. ABT-737 competitively binds to surface hydrophobic grooves of anti-apoptotic proteins of Bcl-2 family, counteracting their protective effect. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol that has been shown to inhibit the proliferation and/or induce apoptosis in a number of different types of cancer cells. The present study was designed to analyze the combined effects of ABT-737 and resveratrol on human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of these agents against MOLT-4 leukemia cells was determined using the Coulter electrical impedance method, comet assay, and flow cytometry, light microscopy and western blot techniques. The results are the first data showing that ABT-737 combined with resveratrol markedly decreased the cell viability, increased DNA damage, caused the cell cycle perturbation, and synergistically enhanced apoptosis in MOLT-4 cells, when compared to the data obtained after application of the single agent. Moreover, the simultaneous treatment of leukemia cells with ABT-737 and resveratrol resulted in a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, an increase of p53 protein level and up-regulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. The obtained data indicate that the combination of ABT-737 and resveratrol is a promising approach for acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment that should be further explored.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Biphenyl Compounds; Cell Cycle; Cell Line, Tumor; DNA Damage; Drug Synergism; Humans; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; Nitrophenols; Piperazines; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Resveratrol; Stilbenes; Sulfonamides; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

Resveratrol is a common polyphenol of plant origin known for its cancer prevention and other properties. Its wider application is limited due to poor water solubility, low stability, and weak bioavailability. To overcome these limitations, a series of 13 novel resveratrol triesters were synthesized previously. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of 3 additional derivatives and the activity of all 16 against primary acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Of these, 3 compounds were more potent than resveratrol (IC

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Cell Death; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Esters; G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Humans; Molecular Structure; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; Stilbenes; Structure-Activity Relationship

MicroRNAs play critical roles in the progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Previous studies have indicated that miR-196b and miR-1290 play critical roles in T-cell ALL (T-ALL) and B-cell ALL (B-ALL), respectively. Resveratrol, a natural edible polyphenolic phytoalexin, possesses certain anticancer activities. Nevertheless, the mechanism involved in the regulation of ALL by resveratrol is still poorly understood. The present study aimed to reveal the potential mechanism underlying the antitumor effect of resveratrol in ALL focusing on miRNAs. Research indicates that insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) plays a critical role in the aetiology of ALL. In the present study, we first demonstrated that the expression of IGFBP3 was decreased in ALL patients. We further identified that miR-196b and miR-1290 were overexpressed in T-ALL TALL-104 and B-ALL SUP-B15 cell lines, respectively. Moreover, resveratrol markedly decreased the overexpression of miR-196b/miR-1290 and elevated IGFBP3 expression in the ALL cell lines. As an miR-196b/miR-1290 inhibitor, resveratrol was further demonstrated to exert antitumor effects on ALL cells including antiproliferation, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and inhibition of migration. Dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-196b/miR-1290 directly bound to the 3'-untranslated (3'-UTR) region of IGFBP3 mRNA. Moreover, we observed that IGFBP3 short interfering RNA reversed the antitumor activity of resveratrol against ALL cells. Taken together, the present study provides evidence that resveratrol targets miR-196b and miR-1290 for its antitumor activity in T-ALL and B-ALL, respectively. The present study also confirms that both miR‑196b and miR-1290 target the IGFBP3 3'-UTR and are potential therapeutic targets for ALL.

Topics: 3' Untranslated Regions; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Case-Control Studies; Cell Line, Tumor; Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic; Humans; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; MicroRNAs; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; RNA, Small Interfering; Stilbenes

The bioactive components of dietary phytochemicals are in the spotlight of research institutes, due to their significant antioxidant activities and health-promoting properties. Resveratrol is a polyphenol which is found abundantly in grapes and berries and has long been known as a chemo-preventive agent. The main purpose of this study was to provide a new mechanistic insight into the growth inhibition of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells by resveratrol along with a DNA damage agent. It was found that the treatment of pre-B ALL cells by resveratrol in the presence or absence of doxorubicin resulted in decreased cell viability and a synergistic increase in cytotoxicity. Cell death was accompanied by a significant increase in phosphorylated p53 at serine 15 and accumulation of PTEN. In addition, resveratrol inhibited the over-expression of p-AKT and p-ERK1/2. These findings clearly demonstrated that resveratrol and doxorubicin synergistically increase the cytotoxicity of pre-B ALL cells via the hyper-activation of two important tumor suppressor proteins and two major signal transduction pathways.

Topics: DNA Damage; Humans; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; PTEN Phosphohydrolase; Resveratrol; Stilbenes

Chemotherapy is one of the common approaches in treatment of cancers, especially leukemia. However, drug resistance phenomena reduce the likelihood of treatment success. Resveratrol is a herbal compound which through complicated processes makes some selected cells sensitive to treatment and induction of apoptosis. In the present study, the effects of resveratrol on the expression of miR 15a and miR16-1 and apoptosis in the CCRF-CEM cell line were investigated.. The CCRF-CEM cell line was cultured under standard conditions and changes in miR 15a and miR 16-1 expression were analyzed by real time-PCR technique, with attention to reveratrol dose and time dependence. Also, apoptosis is evaluated by flow cytometry using annexin V and PI.. CCRF-CEM cells underwent dose-dependent apoptotic cell death in response to resveratrol. MiR 15a and miR 16-1 expression was up-regulated after 24 and 48 hours resveratrol treatment (p<0.05).. The results of our study indicate that resveratrol induces apoptosis in a time and dose- dependent manner in CCRF-CEM cells. Also, increased expression level of miR 16-1 and miR 15a by means of resveratrol in CCRF-CEM cells might have a role in apoptosis induction and predisposition. According to our results resveratrol can be regarded as a dietary supplement to improve efficacy of anti-leukemia therapies.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Apoptosis; Cell Line, Tumor; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Gene Expression; Humans; MicroRNAs; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; Stilbenes; Time Factors; Up-Regulation

Environmental conditions or chemical agents can interfere with the function of the endoplasmic reticulum, and the resulting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress can be toxic to the cell if it is not relieved. The classical compensatory response to ER stress is the unfolded protein response (UPR) that reduces protein load in the ER. However, autophagy may also compensate by removing large insoluble protein aggregates. Agents that stress the ER can have anti-cancer activity, and novel applications of ER stress inducing agents are being investigated. Plant stilbenes are a class of stress responsive molecules that includes resveratrol, which are being investigated as potential therapeutics in humans for conditions such as aging or cancer.. We performed a screen of 1726 small, drug like molecules to identify those that could activate an ER-stress responsive luciferase gene. After secondary screening, we determined that the plant stilbenes pterostilbene and piceatannol were the most potent inducers of ER stress from this group. ER stress can be particularly toxic to cells with high ER load, so we examined their effect on cells expressing the Wnt family of secreted glycoprotein growth factors. Molecular analysis determined that these ER stress-inducing stilbenes could block Wnt processing and also induce autophagy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells expressing Wnt16. Combining pterostilbene (to induce ER stress) with chloroquine (to inhibit autophagy) lead to significant cellular toxicity in cells from aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.. Plant stilbenes are potent inducers of ER stress. However, their toxicity is more pronounced in cancer cells expressing Wnt growth factors. The toxicity of stilbenes in these ALL cells can be potentiated by the addition of autophagy inhibitors, suggesting a possible therapeutic application.

Topics: Antimalarials; Antineoplastic Agents; Antioxidants; Autophagy; Blotting, Western; Cell Proliferation; Chloroquine; Drug Synergism; Drug Therapy, Combination; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Fibrosarcoma; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Humans; Plants; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; Small Molecule Libraries; Stilbenes; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The efficacy of resveratrol as a preventive agent against the growth of t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was evaluated in NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J mice engrafted with the human t(4;11) ALL SEM cell line. SEM cells were injected into the tail vein and engraftment was monitored by flow cytometry. Once engraftment was observed, mice were injected intraperitoneally with resveratrol (10 mg/kg body weight) dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or DMSO alone (control) every other day, or vincristine (0.5 mg/kg body weight) 3 times per week for 4 weeks (n=16 per group). Comparisons of the percent of human leukemia cells in blood and survival curves showed resveratrol did not inhibit progression of the disease. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses of mouse sera showed resveratrol was rapidly metabolized to glucuronidated and sulfated forms 1 h post-injection, with low to no resveratrol or metabolites observed in sera by 24-48 h. These data indicate that in contrast to findings in in vitro models, parenterally administered resveratrol does not have potential as a preventive agent against high risk t(4;11) ALL.

Topics: Animals; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Humans; Infusions, Parenteral; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Mice, SCID; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; Stilbenes

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with translocation t(4;11) is a high-risk leukemia found in 60-85% of infants with ALL and is often refractory to conventional chemotherapeutics after relapse. To evaluate the efficacy of dietary resveratrol in vivo, 5-week-old NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J mice were fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.2% w/w resveratrol. After 3 weeks of dietary treatment, mice were engrafted with the human t(4;11) ALL line SEM by tail vein injection. Engraftment was monitored by evaluating the presence of human CD19+ cells in peripheral blood using flow cytometry. Relative to control diet, dietary resveratrol did not delay the engraftment of the leukemia cells. To determine if dietary resveratrol could increase efficacy of a chemotherapeutic agent, vincristine was injected intraperitoneally into leukemic mice fed the control or supplemented diet. Survival curves and monitoring the percentage of human leukemia cells in peripheral blood showed that resveratrol did not inhibit leukemia cell growth or influence the activity of vincristine. Mass spectrometric analysis of mouse serum revealed that the majority of resveratrol was present as glucuronidated and sulfated metabolites. These data do not support the concept that dietary resveratrol has potential as a preventative agent against the growth of high-risk t(4;11) ALL.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Body Weight; Cell Line, Tumor; Diet; Female; Glucuronides; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Mice, SCID; Neoplasm Transplantation; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; Stilbenes; Sulfates; Tumor Burden; Vincristine; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

We have previously shown that resveratrol can induce apoptotic cell death in cell lines established from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cyclosporin A (CsA) and PK11195 are modulators of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) which has been proposed to play a critical role in regulating survival and death. Using SEM and RS4;11 lines with the t(4;11) translocation, the B-ALL line REH, and the T-ALL line Jurkat, we show that pre-treatment with CsA or PK11195 significantly enhances resveratrol-mediated apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane depolarization in these cells, as measured by annexin V and JC-1 staining, respectively. No significant multi-drug resistance efflux of the fluorescent substrate calcein was observed in these ALL lines, indicating that CsA and PK11195 were acting at the level of the mitochondria to enhance loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and induction of apoptosis. These data suggest targeting the MPTP sensitizes B- and T-cell ALL to the anti-cancer activity of resveratrol, and may be particularly useful for the treatment of high-risk t(4;11) ALL.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Apoptosis; Cells, Cultured; Cyclosporine; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Drug Synergism; Humans; Isoquinolines; Jurkat Cells; Membrane Potentials; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; Mitochondrial Membranes; Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; Stilbenes

Resveratrol, a plant antibiotic, has been found to have anticancer activity and was recently reported to induce apoptosis in the myeloid leukemia line HL60 by the CD95-CD95 ligand pathway. However, many acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs), particularly of B-lineage, are resistant to CD95-mediated apoptosis. Using leukemia lines derived from patients with pro-B t(4;11), pre-B, and T-cell ALL, we show in this report that resveratrol induces extensive apoptotic cell death not only in CD95-sensitive leukemia lines, but also in B-lineage leukemic cells that are resistant to CD95-signaling. Multiple dose treatments of the leukemic cells with 50 microM resveratrol resulted in >/=80% cell death with no statistically significant cytotoxicity against normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells under identical conditions. Resveratrol treatment did not increase CD95 expression or trigger sensitivity to CD95-mediated apoptosis in the ALL lines. Inhibition of CD95-signaling with a CD95-specific antagonistic antibody indicated that CD95-CD95 ligand interactions were not involved in initiating resveratrol-induced apoptosis. However, in each ALL line, resveratrol induced progressive loss of mitochondrial membrane potential as measured by the dual emission pattern of the mitochondria-selective dye JC-1. The broad spectrum caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone failed to block the depolarization of mitochondrial membranes induced by resveratrol, further indicating that resveratrol action was independent of upstream caspase-8 activation via receptor ligation. However, increases in caspase-9 activity ranged from 4- to 9-fold in the eight cell lines after treatment with resveratrol. Taken together, these results point to a general mechanism of apoptosis induction by resveratrol in ALL cells that involves a mitochondria/caspase-9-specific pathway for the activation of the caspase cascade and is independent of CD95-signaling.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Apoptosis; Caspase 9; Caspases; Enzyme Activation; Fas Ligand Protein; fas Receptor; Humans; Intracellular Membranes; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Membrane Glycoproteins; Membrane Potentials; Mitochondria; Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Resveratrol; Stilbenes; Translocation, Genetic; Tumor Cells, Cultured