Melanoma cytotoxicity of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) alone and in combination with 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine and melphalan.

Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, showed variable growth-inhibitory activity in different tumor cell lines with a high degree of inhibitory activity against melanoma-derived cell lines. A correlation between BSO growth-inhibitory effects and cellular glutathione peroxidase activity was observed. In contrast, no correlation was demonstrated between the response to BSO and cellular tyrosinase, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, glutathione transferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, or glutathione reductase activities. BSO enhanced 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine (3,4-DHBA) (fourfold) and melphalan (threefold) in vitro cytotoxic activity as determined by inhibition of DNA synthesis in human melanoma cells and this enhancement was dependent on the duration of exposure to drug. BSO demonstrated in vivo antitumor activity in B16 melanoma-bearing mice prolonging survival by 29% and in combination with 3,4-DHBA resulted in a slight (48% versus 38%) increase in life span as compared to 3,4-DHBA alone. The combination of BSO and melphalan, however, increased the life span of B16 melanoma-bearing mice by 170%, as compared to melphalan alone (80%). These studies demonstrate a unique in vivo antimelanoma activity of BSO.

Polyhydroxylated phenylacrylic acid derivatives as new anti-tumor agents.

Preliminary evidence indicates that antitumor agents containing the o-dihydroxybenzene moiety exhibit enhanced antitumor activity toward malignant cells of high oxidative potential, such as melanoma cells. Based on this consideration, 11 hydroxybenzene acrylic acid derivatives of differing redox potential were prepared as potential substrates for the melanoma specific enzyme tyrosinase, that might exhibit general antitumor activity and enhanced cytotoxicity toward melanoma cells. Five of these compounds [alpha-cyano-beta-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-, alpha-cyano-beta-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-, and alpha-cyano-beta-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)acrylic acid (THPPA), and 3,4-dihydroxy- and 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzalcyanoacetamide] were found to be substrates for tyrosinase with Km values from 0.08 to 4.13 mM and Vmax values from 0.18 to 3.02. These data indicate that as the number of hydroxy groups increases, the rate of oxidation increases, and that cyanoamides were faster reacting than corresponding cyanoacids, with dicyanides the least reactive. In contrast, cyanoamides were less effective as substrates than cyanoacids. In vitro studies showed all but two compounds were active against L1210 (IC50 range 21-980 microM), SK-MEL-28 (IC50 range 54-950 microM), and SK-MEL-30-3 (IC50 range 54-190 microM). Only THPPA was active in vivo against L1210 and B-16 melanoma.

2,4-Dihydroxybenzylamine: a specific inhibitor of glutathione reductase.

The high intracellular level of glutathione is maintained, in part, by the important redox enzyme glutathione reductase. This report describes the properties of a new inhibitor of glutathione reductase, 2,4-dihydroxybenzylamine (2,4-DHBA). The inhibition of glutathione reductase by both 2,4-DHBA and 1,3-bischloroethyl-nitrosourea (BCNU) requires the presence of the co-factor NADPH. However, the inhibition caused by 2,4-DHBA was found to occur much more rapidly. Inhibition of glutathione reductase was time dependent, involved a stoichiometric titration of the enzyme, and was not reversed by gel-filtration indicating an irreversible inhibitory mechanism. The drug interacted at two inhibitory sites as determined by a Hill-type plot analysis. 2,4-DHBA was shown to compete with the substrate oxidized glutathione, and the reducing agents, glutathione and dithioerythritol, were found to protect the enzyme from its inhibitory effect. These results suggest that the inhibition may entail a free radical effect at or near the active site. A structure-activity analysis with other meta-dihydroxybenzene derivatives revealed that the inhibition of glutathione reductase was unique to 2,4-dihydroxybenzylamine.

The mechanism of differential sensitivity to methotrexate of normal and malignant human epidermal cells.

Squamous carcinoma cells are much more sensitive (greater than 10(4) times) to the cytotoxic effects of methotrexate (MTX) and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR) than are normal human keratinocytes as measured by cell growth. Among the drugs tested, this phenomenon was found to be specific for MTX and FUDR, since arabinosylcytidine (ARA-C), 13-bis-chloroethylnitrosourea (BCNU), and daunomycin failed to show differences in inhibition between the normal and malignant cell lines. Drug uptake studies did not reveal a significant difference in MTX intracellular levels between malignant and normal epidermal cell lines at 60 min. Thymidine (TdR) salvage was assessed by examining the effects of the presence of 3 microM TdR on MTX-induced cytotoxicity. On the withdrawal of TdR, normal cells demonstrated an increased level of inhibition amounting to 4 orders of magnitude, whereas the squamous-cell carcinoma cells showed no change in sensitivity. Interestingly, the immortal nontumorigenic keratinocyte line (NM-110) was similarly not rescued by the addition of TdR. The high degree of sensitivity TO MTX shown by squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) and NM-110 cells is attributable to a significant diminution of their ability to use exogenous TdR as compared with that of normal keratinocytes and might be indicative of a biochemical change associated with cellular immortality.

Comparison of cellular protooncogene activation and transformation-related activity of human melanocytes and metastatic melanoma.

Two cell lines (NH and HM1), established from patients with metastatic melanomas, were evaluated for the presence of activated cellular protooncogenes. Northern blot analysis demonstrated increased expression of the c-myc gene (from 9 to 14 times) in NH and HM1 cell lines by densitometric comparison with human melanocyte cell lines. Analysis of the expression of 13 additional cellular protooncogenes revealed either no detectable levels (c-fms, c-abl, v-src, c-erb A1, c-erb B, v-mos, TGF beta, and c-myb) or unaltered expression levels (cH-ras, N-ras, c-fos, and c-sis) in normal human melanocytes and metastatic melanomas. Elevated expression of the c-myc gene was also detected in two long-term cultured melanoma cell lines (RPMI 7951 and SKMEL-30). Analysis of c-myc expression by in situ hybridization in HM1 cells showed that expression was not localized to a sub-population of cycling cells and all cells were overexpressing c-myc mRNA. Differences in relative abundance of c-myc transcripts suggests a relationship with the ability of DNA from these cell lines to efficiently transform NIH 3T3 cells and form colonies on soft agar.

A comparison of the effects of antitumor agents upon normal human epidermal keratinocytes and human squamous cell carcinoma.

The pharmacologic responses of normal and malignant epidermal cells to chemotherapeutic agents were examined in a system which consists of a serum-free "defined" medium. The effects of methotrexate (MTX), fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR), and hydroxyurea upon cell growth, DNA synthesis, thymidylate synthase activity, and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activity were compared in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK), newborn epidermal cells (NEC), human squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-25), and a methotrexate-resistant human squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-15R). Normal keratinocytes were found to be 10(3) to 10(4) times less sensitive to the effects of MTX and FUDR than the malignant cells with respect to growth and DNA synthesis. The differential sensitivity to MTX and FUDR was not due to differences in growth media, increased target enzyme activity, e.g., DHFR and thymidylate synthase, or impaired transport of these drugs. The results indicate that the mechanism for the increased sensitivity of the squamous cell carcinoma to MTX and FUDR must involve a process which is distal to the de novo synthesis of dTMP.

Effects of tyrosinase activity on the cytotoxicity of 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine and buthionine sulfoximine in human melanoma cells.

The rationale for melanoma specific dihydroxybenzene containing antitumor agents is based in part upon the ability of the enzyme tyrosinase to oxidize these pro drugs to toxic intermediates. In situ tyrosinase activity was demonstrated to be affected by both cell density and time from plating in pigmented melanoma cells. Phenylthiourea, which completely inhibited tyrosinase activity with minimal cytotoxicity was found to block the growth inhibitory activity of the antitumor dopamine analog 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine (3,4-DHBA) (NSC 263475). The antioxidant dithioerythritol was also found to inhibit tyrosinase activity and to block the growth inhibitory effects of 3,4-DHBA in pigmented melanoma cell lines. Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) was shown to be cytotoxic to melanoma cells and its growth inhibitory effects appears to correlate with tyrosinase levels. Furthermore, BSO was shown to potentiate the growth inhibitory effects of 3,4-DHBA on marginally pigmented human melanoma cell lines.

A comparison of dihydrofolate reductase activity in intact leukemia cells and squamous cell carcinoma.

This report examines the intracellular activity of dihydrofolate reductase using an in situ assay designed to measure enzymatic activity in intact cells. The rate of uptake of folic acid exceeded the rate of in situ dihydrofolate reductase activity suggesting that the reduction of folate to dihydrofolate, rather than transport, was the rate limiting step. In situ dihydrofolate reductase activity varied linearly with cell number. A comparison of the in situ activity revealed that a squamous cell carcinoma selected for methotrexate (MTX) resistant (SCC-15R) had 100 times greater dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activity than L1210 leukemia. In agreement with this finding, the in situ DHFR activity in SCC-15R cells was 50-fold less sensitive to the inhibitory effects of MTX than the L1210 in situ DHFR activity (IC50 = 1.1 x 10(-5) M and 2.4 x 10.7(-7) M respectively). The inhibition of in situ dihydrofolate reductase activity by MTX was found to correlate with the inhibition of growth, DNA synthesis (CdR incorporation) and in situ thymidylate synthase activity.

Antitumor effects of biologic reducing agents related to 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine: dihydroxybenzaldehyde, dihydroxybenzaldoxime, and dihydroxybenzonitrile.

This report describes a structure-activity analysis of isomers of three classes of dihydroxybenzene derivatives, including dihydroxybenzaldoxime, dihydroxybenzaldehyde, and dihydroxybenzonitrile. These derivatives were examined for their effect on ribonucleotide reductase activity, macromolecular synthesis, cell growth, and in vivo antitumor activity against the L1210 murine leukemia. One of the compounds studied exhibited significant antitumor activity against the growth of L1210 leukemia cells. A comparison of the various analogues revealed a possible correlation for 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldoxime between its potent inhibitory effect toward ribonucleotide reductase activity (IC50 = 38 microM) and its superior L1210 antitumor activity [percent increased life span (% ILS) = 100].

Inhibition of thymidylate synthase in intact L1210 cells by ara-C, daunomycin, hydroxyurea and 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine.

The use of an in situ assay for thymidylate synthase has shown that a variety of clinically important drugs, including arabinofuranosylcytosine, hydroxyurea, and daunomycin, inhibit thymidylate synthase in intact cells. In contrast to the inhibition observed with 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, inhibition occurs by an indirect mechanism, is delayed in onset, and is incomplete. Inhibition occurred at concentrations that corresponded to those that inhibit DNA synthesis, suggesting that this phenomenon might contribute to the biological action of these agents. Since the inhibition of thymidylate synthase by this indirect mechanism appears to be a general property of drugs that inhibit DNA synthesis, our findings may have important implications for the mechanism of killing of tumor cells, as well as the rationale for combination regimens.

Comparison of the inhibitory effects of hydroxyurea, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine, and methotrexate on human squamous cell carcinoma.

A cell line (SCC-25) derived from a human squamous cell carcinoma was found to have a higher level of in situ thymidylate synthase activity when compared to a faster-growing cell line, L1210 leukemia, and approximately 5 times the level of activity of a cell line with the same growth rate, S91-A melanoma. These results led to an examination of the effects of both direct and indirect inhibitors of this enzyme using intact SCC-25 cells. It was found that drugs that have an indirect effect on this enzyme--methotrexate (MTX), hydroxyurea (HU), and 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine (3,4-DHBA)--acted as noncompetitive inhibitors and the inhibition of thymidylate synthase by these drugs did not result in the accumulation of its substrate, dUMP. This suggested that these drugs are also inhibiting steps leading to the formation of dUMP by a mechanism that is coordinated with the inhibition of thymidylate synthase. 5-Fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR), a competitive inhibitor of thymidylate synthase, did cause an increase in the dUMP pool size indicating that this drug did not affect the synthesis of this substrate. There was a good correlation for the inhibition of growth, DNA synthesis, and thymidylate synthase with HU, 3,4-DHBA, and FUDR. However, the results suggested fundamentally different mechanistic reasons for the close relationship among these three inhibitory effects. Finally the inhibition of growth by MTX did not appear to correlate with the inhibition of DNA synthesis. The implication of these results for the therapy of epidermally derived proliferative disorders, especially with combinations such as MTX and 5-FU, is discussed.

Sequential inhibitory effects of antitumor agents related to levodopa and dopamine upon DNA synthetic enzymes.

Novel antitumor agents related to levodopa and dopamine exhibit a selective and rapid inhibition of DNA synthesis as measured by thymidine incorporation. Our investigations have attempted to determine the biochemical basis of the selective inhibition of tumor cells and in this present study we examined the effects of these agents on thymidylate synthase. The dihydroxybenzene derivatives were found to inhibit thymidylate synthase in situ at concentrations ranging between 100 and 800 microM. The quinols did not inhibit partially purified thymidylate synthase, although the oxidized quinones did cause inhibition at concentrations between 10 and 100 microM. Time course experiments suggested that the inhibition of thymidylate synthase in situ by the dihydroxybenzene derivatives occurs after the inhibition of thymidine incorporation, indicating that an earlier event was critical to the inhibition of DNA synthesis. With the use of a novel in situ assay which measured the release of [3H]water from [5-3H] uridine in intact cells, we were able to show that one of the earliest biochemical events is the inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase and that the inhibition of thymidylate synthase, which is delayed by approximately 30 min, was indirectly mediated possibly through effects on ribonucleotide reductase.

Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase by antitumor agents related to levodopa and dopamine.

Using partially purified enzyme from L1210 cells, dihydroxybenzene derivatives related structurally to dopamine were shown to reversibly inactivate ribonucleotide reductase. A structure-activity analysis revealed that derivatives with side-chains, which contain a negatively-charged group, had significantly reduced inhibitory activity. The ability of these compounds to inhibit ribonucleotide reductase was dependent on the hydroxyl groups being in the ortho position and did not correlate with free radical inhibitory activity. A kinetic analysis by the method of Lineweaver-Burk indicated that the inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase by the derivative 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine was competitive with the reducing substrate dithioerythritol. This analog, in combination with hydroxyurea, gave synergistic inhibition or ribonucleotide reductase, suggesting different sites of action. Using Tween 80-treated L1210 cells, it was found that these drugs had an immediate inhibitory effect on ribonucleotide reductase activity in intact, reversibly permeabilized cells. Furthermore, although these drugs had no immediate effect on DNA polymerase, in permeabilized L1210 cells (when the cells were preincubated with the dihydroxybenzene derivatives for 1 hr prior to permeabilization), there was significant inhibition of DNA polymerase activity. The two key enzymes for DNA synthesis appear to be sequentially inhibited by these analogs, with the reduced form (quinol) inhibiting ribonucleotide reductase and the oxidized form (quinone) inhibiting DNA polymerase.

Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase by naturally occurring quinols from spores of Agaricus bisporus.

gamma-L-glutaminyl-4-hydroxybenzene, a stable phenol found in high concentrations in the gill tissue of the common mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, was shown to be capable of selectively inhibiting DNA synthesis in L1210 leukemia cells. Studies with isolated enzymes and permeabilized L1210 cells revealed that this compound inhibits ribonucleotide reductase ( RNR ) but has no effect on DNA polymerase. The results indicated a good correlation between the inhibition of DNA synthesis and the ability of this compound to inhibit RNR . The concentration of glutaminyl-4-hydroxybenzene required to elicit these inhibitory effects has physiological relevance to the gill tissue during the prodromal period of sporulation.

3,4-Dihydroxybenzylamine: an improved dopamine analog cytotoxic for melanoma cells in part through oxidation products inhibitory to dna polymerase.

The dopamine analog 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine (3,4-DHBA), a novel antitumor agent, was shown to inhibit directly DNA polymerase in cells of the deeply pigmented murine melanoma, S-91A, permeabilized to nucleotides by lysolecithin. In contrast, levodopa and dopamine did not inhibit DNA polymerase in permeabilized cells in the absence of exogenous tyrosinase. Analysis using isolated DNA polymerase showed that the inhibitory activity of the ortho dihydroxy compounds was totally dependent upon enzymatic activation. The enzymatic activation of the ortho derivative 3,4-DHBA by tyrosinase results in two reactive species: a semiquinone intermediate and a less reactive quinone. Inhibition of DNA polymerase by activated 3,4-DHBA was shown by dialysis and kinetic studies to involve an irreversible reaction which occurs at two inhibitor interaction sites as determined by a Hill plot analysis. Double-stranded DNA protected the enzyme from inhibition by 3,4-DHBA, suggesting that the inhibitory sites are at or near the template-initiator binding site.

Changes in intestinal flora of farm personnel after introduction of a tetracycline-supplemented feed on a farm.

A prospective study was undertaken to determine whether feeding farm animals antibiotics in feed caused changes in the intestinal bacterial flora of farm dwellers and their neighbors. Chickens were fed tetracycline-supplemented feed (tet-feed), and, as expected, within one week their intestinal flora contained almost entirely tetracycline-resistant organisms. Increased numbers of resistant intestinal bacteria also appeared, but more slowly, in farm members, but not their neighbors. Within five and six months, 31.3 per cent of weekly fecal samples from farm dwellers contained greater than 80 per cent tetracycline-resistant bacteria as compared to 6.8 per cent of the samples from the neighbors (P less than 0.001). Seven of the 11 farm members, but only three of the 24 neighbors, had two or more fecal samples containing greater than 80 per cent tetracycline-resistant coliforms (P less than 0.01). These resistant bacteria contained transferable plasmids conferring multiple antibiotic resistances. Selective pressure by tet-feed for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in chickens extends to human beings in contact with chickens and the feed.