The dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor AZD2014 inhibits acute graft rejection in a rat liver transplantation model / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the inhibitory effect of AZD2014, a dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor, against acute graft rejection in a rat model of allogeneic liver transplantation.@*METHODS@#Liver transplantation from Lewis rat to recipient BN rat (a donor-recipient combination that was prone to induce acute graft rejection) was performed using Kamada's two-cuff technique. The recipient BN rats were randomized into 2 groups for treatment with daily intraperitoneal injection of AZD2014 (5 mg/kg, n=4) or vehicle (2.5 mL/kg, n=4) for 14 consecutive days, starting from the first day after the transplantation. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total bilirubin (TBIL) levels of the rats were measured 3 days before and at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 days after the transplantation, and the survival time of the rats within 14 days were recorded. Immunohistochemical staining was used to examine the expressions of CD3 and Foxp3 in the liver graft, and acute graft rejection was assessed using HE staining based on the Banff schema.@*RESULTS@#Three rats in the control group died within 14 days after the surgery, while no death occurred in the AZD2014 group, demonstrating a significantly longer survival time of the rats in AZD2014 group (χ2=4.213, P=0.04). Serum ALT, AST and TBIL levels in the control group increased progressively after the surgery and were all significantly higher than those in AZD2014 group at the same time point (P < 0.05). Pathological examination revealed significantly worse liver graft rejection in the control group than in AZD2014 group based on assessment of the rejection index (P < 0.01); the rats in the control group showed more serious T lymphocyte infiltration and significantly fewer Treg cells in the liver graft than those in AZD2014 group (P < 0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#AZD2014 can effectively inhibit acute graft rejection in rats with allogeneic liver transplantation.

Dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor AZD2014 inhibits proliferation of HCCLM3 cells through induction of autophagy / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of mTORC1/2 inhibitor AZD2014 induced autophagy on cell proliferation in HCCLM3 cell lines in vitro. Methods HCCLM3 cells were cultured in the presence or absence of AZD2014 (100 nmol/L) or rapamycin (100 nmol/L) or 3-methyladenine (10 nmol/L). To detect autophagy vacuoles, HCCLM3 cells were divided into the control group, rapamycin group, AZD2014 group, control+3-MA group, rapamycin+3-MA group, and AZD2014+3-MA group, and auto-fluorescent dye monodansylcadaverine (MDC) was used to monitor autophagy vacuoles. To semi-quantify the expression of autophagy-related proteins, HCCLM3 cells were divided into the control group, rapamycin group, and AZD2014 group, and Western blotting analysis was carried out to detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins, LC3B-II and Beclin-1. To evaluate the effect of autophagy induced by AZD2014 on cell proliferation, HCCLM3 cells were divided into the control group, 3-MA group, AZD2014 group, and AZD2014+3-MA group, Cell Counting Kit-8 was used. Results AZD2014-treated HCC cells showed an increase in the number of MDC-labeled vacuoles as well as in their size. AZD2014 treatment increased the levels of LC3B-II and Beclin-1 (P<0.05). CCK-8 assay revealed that suppression of cell proliferation elicited by AZD2014 in HCCLM3 was partly attenuated by 3-MA (autophagy inhibitor). Conclusion Dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor AZD2014 suppressed cell proliferation in the HCCLM3 cell line with increased autophagy, in vitro. This study provides a potential basis for further investigation of AZD2014 as a clinical molecular targeted agent for HCC treatment.