Cell-type specific anti-cancerous effects of nitro-oleic acid and its combination with gamma irradiation.

Nitro-fatty acids (NFAs) are endogenous lipid mediators capable of post-translational modifications of selected regulatory proteins. Here, we investigated the anti-cancerous effects of nitro-oleic acid (NO2OA) and its combination with gamma irradiation on different cancer cell lines. The effects of NO2OA on cell death, cell cycle distribution, or expression of p21 and cyclin D1 proteins were analyzed in cancer (A-549, HT-29 and FaDu) or normal cell lines (HGF, HFF-1). Dose enhancement ratio at 50 % survival fraction (DERIC50) was calculated for samples pre-treated with NO2OA followed by gamma irradiation. NO2OA suppressed viability and induced apoptotic cell death. These effects were cell line specific but not in general selective for cancer cells. HT-29 cell line exerted higher sensitivity toward NO2OA treatment among cancer cell lines tested: induction of cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase was associated with an increase in p21 and a decrease in cyclin D1 expression. Pre-treatment of HT-29 cells with NO2OA prior irradiation showed a significantly increased DERIC50, demonstrating radiosensitizing effects. In conclusion, NO2OA exhibited potential for combined chemoradiotherapy. Our results encourage the development of new NFAs with improved features for cancer chemoradiation.

Administration of nitro-oleic acid mitigates radiation-induced hematopoietic injury in mice.

AIMS: Limited number of agents that provide protection against hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome led us to the evaluation of nitro-oleic acid (NO2OA) as a potential protector/mitigator against radiation-induced hematopoietic injury in C57/BL6 mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NO2OA was administered before and after sub-lethal total body irradiation (TBI) and hematological parameters were evaluated 3 or 7 days after TBI. KEY FINDINGS: Our results show that NO2OA significantly increase bone marrow cellularity including the granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells and erythroid progenitors on the 3rd day after TBI. In addition, NO2OA enhanced recovery of white blood cells (lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes) in peripheral blood 7 days after irradiation. These effects may be in part attributed to NO2OA-induced granulocyte colony-stimulating factor production after TBI. On the other hand, radiation-induced impairment of peripheral red blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets were not affected with NO2OA treatment up to 7 days post TBI. SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, our data show that NO2OA significantly protects hematopoiesis after irradiation, and thus showed a high potential to act as an agent for medical radiation countermeasure.

Nitro-Oleic Acid Inhibits Stemness Maintenance and Enhances Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells via STAT3 Signaling.

Nitro-oleic acid (NO2-OA), pluripotent cell-signaling mediator, was recently described as a modulator of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activity. In our study, we discovered new aspects of NO2-OA involvement in the regulation of stem cell pluripotency and differentiation. Murine embryonic stem cells (mESC) or mESC-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) were exposed to NO2-OA or oleic acid (OA) for selected time periods. Our results showed that NO2-OA but not OA caused the loss of pluripotency of mESC cultivated in leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) rich medium via the decrease of pluripotency markers (NANOG, sex-determining region Y-box 1 transcription factor (SOX2), and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4)). The effects of NO2-OA on mESC correlated with reduced phosphorylation of STAT3. Subsequent differentiation led to an increase of the ectodermal marker orthodenticle homolog 2 (Otx2). Similarly, treatment of mESC-derived EBs by NO2-OA resulted in the up-regulation of both neural markers Nestin and ß-Tubulin class III (Tubb3). Interestingly, the expression of cardiac-specific genes and beating of EBs were significantly decreased. In conclusion, NO2-OA is able to modulate pluripotency of mESC via the regulation of STAT3 phosphorylation. Further, it attenuates cardiac differentiation on the one hand, and on the other hand, it directs mESC into neural fate.

Brief Story on Prostaglandins, Inhibitors of their Synthesis, Hematopoiesis, and Acute Radiation Syndrome.

Prostaglandins and inhibitors of their synthesis (cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) were shown to play a significant role in the regulation of hematopoiesis. Partly due to their hematopoiesis-modulating effects, both prostaglandins and COX inhibitors were reported to act positively in radiation-exposed mammalian organisms at various pre- and post-irradiation therapeutical settings. Experimental efforts were targeted at finding pharmacological procedures leading to optimization of therapeutical outcomes by minimizing undesirable side effects of the treatments. Progress in these efforts was obtained after discovery of selective inhibitors of inducible selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors. Recent studies have been able to suggest the possibility to find combined therapeutical approaches utilizing joint administration of prostaglandins and inhibitors of their synthesis at optimized timing and dosing of the drugs which could be incorporated into the therapy of patients with acute radiation syndrome.

Casein kinase 1 is a therapeutic target in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Casein kinase 1δ/ε (CK1δ/ε) is a key component of noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways, which were shown previously to drive pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In this study, we investigated thoroughly the effects of CK1δ/ε inhibition on the primary CLL cells and analyzed the therapeutic potential in vivo using 2 murine model systems based on the Eµ-TCL1-induced leukemia (syngeneic adoptive transfer model and spontaneous disease development), which resembles closely human CLL. We can demonstrate that the CK1δ/ε inhibitor PF-670462 significantly blocks microenvironmental interactions (chemotaxis, invasion and communication with stromal cells) in primary CLL cells in all major subtypes of CLL. In the mouse models, CK1 inhibition slows down accumulation of leukemic cells in the peripheral blood and spleen and prevents onset of anemia. As a consequence, PF-670462 treatment results in a significantly longer overall survival. Importantly, CK1 inhibition has synergistic effects to the B-cell receptor (BCR) inhibitors such as ibrutinib in vitro and significantly improves ibrutinib effects in vivo. Mice treated with a combination of PF-670462 and ibrutinib show the slowest progression of disease and survive significantly longer compared with ibrutinib-only treatment when the therapy is discontinued. In summary, this preclinical testing of CK1δ/ε inhibitor PF-670462 demonstrates that CK1 may serve as a novel therapeutic target in CLL, acting in synergy with BCR inhibitors. Our work provides evidence that targeting CK1 can represent an alternative or addition to the therapeutic strategies based on BCR signaling and antiapoptotic signaling (BCL-2) inhibition.

Pharmacological Modulation of Radiation Damage. Does It Exist a Chance for Other Substances than Hematopoietic Growth Factors and Cytokines?

In recent times, cytokines and hematopoietic growth factors have been at the center of attention for many researchers trying to establish pharmacological therapeutic procedures for the treatment of radiation accident victims. Two granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-based radiation countermeasures have been approved for the treatment of the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome. However, at the same time, many different substances with varying effects have been tested in animal studies as potential radioprotectors and mitigators of radiation damage. A wide spectrum of these substances has been studied, comprising various immunomodulators, prostaglandins, inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis, agonists of adenosine cell receptors, herbal extracts, flavonoids, vitamins, and others. These agents are often effective, relatively non-toxic, and cheap. This review summarizes the results of animal experiments, which show the potential for some of these untraditional or new radiation countermeasures to become a part of therapeutic procedures applicable in patients with the acute radiation syndrome. The authors consider ß-glucan, 5-AED (5-androstenediol), meloxicam, γ-tocotrienol, genistein, IB-MECA (N6-(3-iodobezyl)adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide), Ex-RAD (4-carboxystyryl-4-chlorobenzylsulfone), and entolimod the most promising agents, with regards to their contingent use in clinical practice.

Combining Pharmacological Countermeasures to Attenuate the Acute Radiation Syndrome-A Concise Review.

The goal of combined pharmacological approaches in the treatment of the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) is to obtain an effective therapy producing a minimum of undesirable side effects. This review summarizes important data from studies evaluating the efficacy of combining radioprotective agents developed for administration prior to irradiation and therapeutic agents administered in a post-irradiation treatment regimen. Many of the evaluated results show additivity, or even synergism, of the combined treatments in comparison with the effects of the individual component administrations. It can be deduced from these findings that the research in which combined treatments with radioprotectors/radiomitigators are explored, tested, and evaluated is well-founded. The requirement for studies highly emphasizing the need to minimize undesirable side effects of the radioprotective/radiomitigating therapies is stressed.

Enhanced survival of lethally irradiated adenosine A3 receptor knockout mice. A role for hematopoietic growth factors?

Adenosine A3 receptor knockout (A3AR KO) mice and their wild-type (WT) counterparts were compared from the point of view of their abilities to survive exposures to lethal doses of γ-radiation belonging to the range of radiation doses inducing the bone marrow acute radiation syndrome. Parameters of cumulative 30-day survival (experiment using a midlethal radiation dose) or cumulative 11-day survival (experiment using an absolutely lethal radiation dose), and of mean survival time were evaluated. The values of A3AR KO mice always reflected their higher survival in comparison with WT ones, the P values being above the limit for statistical significance after the midlethal radiation dose and standing for statistical significance after the absolutely lethal radiation dose. This finding was considered surprising, taking into account the previously obtained findings on defects in numbers and functional properties of peripheral blood cells in A3AR KO mice. Therefore, previous hematological analyses of A3AR KO mice were supplemented in the present studies with determination of serum levels of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, erythropoietin, and thrombopoietin. Though distinct differences in these parameters were observed between A3AR KO and WT mice, none of them could explain the relatively high postirradiation survival of A3AR KO mice. Further studies on these mice comprising also those on other than hemopoietic tissues and organs can help to clarify their relative radioresistance.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the treatment of acute radiation syndrome: a concise review.

This article concisely summarizes data on the action of one of the principal and best known growth factors, the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), in a mammalian organism exposed to radiation doses inducing acute radiation syndrome. Highlighted are the topics of its real or anticipated use in radiation accident victims, the timing of its administration, the possibilities of combining G-CSF with other drugs, the ability of other agents to stimulate endogenous G-CSF production, as well as of the capability of this growth factor to ameliorate not only the bone marrow radiation syndrome but also the gastrointestinal radiation syndrome. G-CSF is one of the pivotal drugs in the treatment of radiation accident victims and its employment in this indication can be expected to remain or even grow in the future.

Lack of adenosine A3 receptors causes defects in mouse peripheral blood parameters.

The role of the adenosine A3 receptor in hematopoiesis was studied using adenosine A3 receptor knockout (A3AR KO) mice. Hematological parameters of peripheral blood and femoral bone marrow of irradiated and untreated A3AR KO mice and their wild-type (WT) counterparts were investigated. Irradiation of the mice served as a defined hematopoiesis-damaging means enabling us to evaluate contingent differences in the pattern of experimentally induced hematopoietic suppression between the A3AR KO mice and WT mice. Defects were observed in the counts and/or functional parameters of blood cells in the A3AR KO mice. These defects include statistically significantly lower values of blood neutrophil and monocyte counts, as well as those of mean erythrocyte volume, mean erythrocyte hemoglobin, blood platelet counts, mean platelet volume, and plateletcrit, and can be considered to bear evidence of the lack of a positive role played by the adenosine A3 receptor in the hematopoietic system. Statistically significantly increased values of the bone marrow parameters studied in A3AR KO mice (femoral bone marrow cellularity, granulocyte/macrophage progenitor cells, and erythrocyte progenitor cells) can probably be explained by compensatory mechanisms attempting to offset the disorders in the function of blood elements in these mice. The pattern of the radiation-induced hematopoietic suppression was very similar in A3AR KO mice and their WT counterparts.

Agonist of the adenosine A3 receptor, IB-MECA, and inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2, meloxicam, given alone or in a combination early after total body irradiation enhance survival of γ-irradiated mice.

There exists a requirement for drugs which would be useful in therapy of an acute radiation damage of a mammalian organism. The aim of the study was to evaluate survival parameters in mice exposed to a lethal γ-ray dose of 8.5 Gy and treated with single doses of an adenosine A(3) receptor agonist, IB-MECA, or a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, meloxicam, administered alone or in a combination early after irradiation, i.e., 0.5 and 1 h post-irradiation, respectively. The assessed parameters were the mean survival time (MST) and the cumulative percentage 30-day survival (CPS). Administrations of single intraperitoneal doses of either IB-MECA 0.5 h post-irradiation or meloxicam 1 h post-irradiation resulted in statistically significant increases of MST in comparison with the control irradiated mice. Combined administration of IB-MECA and meloxicam was found to be the only treatment statistically enhancing the parameter of CPS and to lead to the most expressive increase in MST of the experimental mice. The findings add new knowledge on the action of an adenosine A3 receptor agonist and a COX-2 inhibitor in an irradiated mammalian organism and suggest the potential of both the investigated drugs in the treatment of the acute radiation damage.

The pharmacological activation of adenosine A1 and A 3 receptors does not modulate the long- or short-term repopulating ability of hematopoietic stem and multipotent progenitor cells in mice.

This study continues our earlier findings on the hematopoiesis-modulating effects of adenosine A1 and A3 receptor agonists that were performed on committed hematopoietic progenitor and precursor cell populations. In the earlier experiments, N (6)-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA), an adenosine A1 receptor agonist, was found to inhibit proliferation in the above-mentioned hematopoietic cell systems, whereas N (6)-(3-iodobenzyl)adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA), an adenosine A3 receptor agonist, was found to stimulate it. The topic of this study was to evaluate the possibility that the above-mentioned adenosine receptor agonists modulate the behavior of early hematopoietic progenitor cells and hematopoietic stem cells. Flow cytometric analysis of hematopoietic stem cells in mice was employed, as well as a functional test of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). These techniques enabled us to study the effect of the agonists on both short-term repopulating ability and long-term repopulating ability, representing multipotent progenitors and hematopoietic stem cells, respectively. In a series of studies, we did not find any significant effect of adenosine agonists on HSPCs in terms of their numbers, proliferation, or functional activity. Thus, it can be concluded that CPA and IB-MECA do not significantly influence the primitive hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell pool and that the hematopoiesis-modulating action of these adenosine receptor agonists is restricted to more mature compartments of hematopoietic progenitor and precursor cells.

Stimulatory action of cyclooxygenase inhibitors on hematopoiesis: a review.

The presented review summarizes experimental data obtained with a mouse model when investigating the relationship between inhibition of prostaglandin production and hematopoiesis. While prostaglandin E2 acts in a negative feedback control of myelopoiesis, inhibition of cyclooxygenases, responsible for its production, shifts the feedback to positive control. Based on these relationships, agents inhibiting cyclo-oxygenases, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), can activate hematopoiesis and be protective or curative under myelosuppressive states. The effectiveness of therapeutic use of NSAIDs in these situations is expressive especially under the selective inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), when undesirable side effects of cyclooxygenase-1 inhibition, like gastrointestinal damage, are absent. The effects of the clinically approved selective COX-2 inhibitor, meloxicam, were investigated and demonstrated significant hematopoiesis-stimulating and survival-enhancing actions of this drug in sublethally or lethally γ-irradiated mice. These effects were connected with the ability of meloxicam to increase serum levels of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. It can be inferred from these findings that selective COX-2 inhibitors might find their use in the treatment of myelosuppressions of various etiologies.

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 promotes the stimulatory action of adenosine A3 receptor agonist on hematopoiesis in sublethally γ-irradiated mice.

Mouse hematopoiesis, suppressed by a sublethal dose of ionizing radiation, was the target for combined therapy with a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor meloxicam and an adenosine A3 receptor agonist IB-MECA. The drugs were administered in an early postirradiation treatment regimen: meloxicam was given in a single dose 1hour after irradiation, IB-MECA in two doses 24 and 48hours after irradiation. Treatment-induced changes in several compartments of hematopoietic progenitor and precursor cells of the bone marrow were evaluated on day 3 after irradiation. Values of hematopoietic progenitor cells for granulocytes/macrophages and erythrocytes (GM-CFC and BFU-E, respectively), as well as those of proliferative granulocytic cells were found to be significantly higher in the mice treated with the drug combination in comparison to irradiated controls and attained the highest increase factors of 1.6, 1.6, and 2.6, respectively. The study emphasizes the significance of the combined treatment of suppressed hematopoiesis with more agents. Mechanisms of the action of the individual compounds of the studied drug combination and of their joint operation are discussed.

The role of adenosine receptor agonists in regulation of hematopoiesis.

The review summarizes data evaluating the role of adenosine receptor signaling in murine hematopoietic functions. The studies carried out utilized either non-selective activation of adenosine receptors induced by elevation of extracellular adenosine or by administration of synthetic adenosine analogs having various proportions of selectivity for a particular receptor. Numerous studies have described stimulatory effects of non-selective activation of adenosine receptors, manifested as enhancement of proliferation of cells at various levels of the hematopoietic hierarchy. Subsequent experimental approaches, considering the hematopoiesis-modulating action of adenosine receptor agonists with a high level of selectivity to individual adenosine receptor subtypes, have revealed differential effects of various adenosine analogs. Whereas selective activation of A1 receptors has resulted in suppression of proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor and precursor cells, that of A3 receptors has led to stimulated cell proliferation in these cell compartments. Thus, A1 and A3 receptors have been found to play a homeostatic role in suppressed and regenerating hematopoiesis. Selective activation of adenosine A3 receptors has been found to act curatively under conditions of drug- and radiation-induced myelosuppression. The findings in these and further research areas will be summarized and mechanisms of hematopoiesis-modulating action of adenosine receptor agonists will be discussed.

Basal and induced granulopoiesis in outbred, F1 hybrid and inbred mice: can inbreeding depression influence the experimental practice?

In this study we examined differences in selected indices of granulopoiesis in outbred, F(1) hybrid and inbred mouse strains. Specifically, serum granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) levels, numbers of marrow granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells and morphologically recognizable proliferative marrow granulocytic precursor cells were evaluated. These parameters were determined in untreated controls, and in mice exposed either to a non-specific stimulus (injection of saline) or to a granulopoiesis-enhancing stimulus (administration of a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, meloxicam). Lower levels of G-CSF were detectable in the outbred ICR mice, which also demonstrated an enhanced response to both types of the stimuli. Considering the fact that outbred mice are closer to natural mammalian populations, including human ones, the possibility of using outbred mice, instead of the often used inbred strains, for experiments evaluating the effects of pharmacological interventions on hematopoiesis should be investigated.

Activation of adenosine A(3) receptors supports hematopoiesis-stimulating effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in sublethally irradiated mice.

PURPOSE: Research areas of 'post-exposure treatment' and 'cytokines and growth factors' have top priority among studies aimed at radiological nuclear threat countermeasures. The experiments were aimed at testing the ability of N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA), an adenosine A(3) receptor agonist, to modulate hematopoiesis in sublethally irradiated mice, when administered alone or in a combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in a two-day post-irradiation treatment regimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A complete analysis of hematopoiesis including determination of numbers of bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor and precursor cells, as well as of numbers of peripheral blood cells, was performed. The outcomes of the treatment were assessed at days 3 to 22 after irradiation. RESULTS: IB-MECA alone has been found to induce a significant elevation of numbers of bone marrow granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (GM-CFC) and peripheral blood neutrophils. IB-MECA given concomitantly with G-CSF increased significantly bone marrow GM-CFC and erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E) in comparison with the controls and with animals administered each of the drugs alone. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the ability of IB-MECA to stimulate hematopoiesis and to support the hematopoiesis-stimulating effects of G-CSF in sublethally irradiated mice.

In vitro proliferation of fibrosarcoma cells depends on intact functions of lipoxygenases and cytochrome P-450-monooxygenase.

Proliferation of mouse fibrosarcoma cells G:5:113 was studied in vitro after affecting particular pathways of arachidonic acid metabolism by selected inhibitors. After 48 hours of cultivation with nonspecific lipoxygenase inhibitors, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and esculetin; a specific 12-lipoxygenase inhibitor, baicalein; and inhibitor of five-lipoxygenase activating protein, MK-886, markedly suppressed the number of cells and induced significant changes in cell cycle distribution in a dose-dependent manner. While proadifen, an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450-monooxygenase, applied in low concentrations, increased the cell number, at higher concentrations, it inhibited cell proliferation and significantly changed the cell cycle. Cyclooxygenase inhibitors, ibuprofen, flurbiprofen, and diclofenac suppressed cell numbers only moderately without any changes in the cell cycle. The occurrence of apoptosis was not significant for any of the selected drugs in comparison with untreated control cells. Moreover, not even one of the drugs caused the specific cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase to the 89-kDa fragment, however, a decrease in total amount of this protein was observed after treatment with NDGA and esculetin. We conclude that the proliferation ability of fibrosarcoma cells G:5:113 in vitro depends on intact functions of 5-lipoxygenase, 12-lipoxygenase, and cytochrome P-450-monooxygenases, and that the effects of inhibitors do not include regulation of apoptosis.

Tumor-host interactions accompanying the growth of the G:5:113 fibrosarcoma in the mouse: possibilities for a new therapeutic approach?

The experiments were aimed at describing in detail some interactions between a solid tumor growing from subcutaneously transplanted G:5:113 fibrosarcoma cells in vivo and its mouse host. The tumor was found to elevate significantly the number of granulocytes in the peripheral blood of the host after having achieved the volume of about 1 cm3 (day 40 after transplantation). Blood plasma from fibrosarcoma-bearing mice stimulated proliferation of progenitor cells for granulocytes and macrophages (GM-CFC) in vitro and suppressed growth of G:5:113 cell population in culture. Interestingly, both effects were observable as early as week 1 when the tumor was still macroscopically invisible and unpalpable. Conditioned medium from cultures of G:5:113 fibrosarcoma cells stimulated proliferation of GM-CFC in vitro. These findings might represent a starting point for studies aimed at designing new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of fibrosarcoma.

The effect of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs ibuprofen, flurbiprofen, and diclofenac on in vitro and in vivo growth of mouse fibrosarcoma.

For suppression of primary G:5:113 fibrosarcoma growth, three structurally different cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors (ibuprofen, flurbiprofen, and diclofenac) were administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) in two regimens starting on day 5 after tumor-cell inoculation. Repeated application of 0.15 mg/mouse/day during 14 consecutive days significantly suppressed the tumor growth and increased the percentage of surviving mice. Similar tendency, however without significant differences, was observed when animals were given 0.5 mg/day for five consecutive days. These results suggest that a time schedule of drug application is important for the therapeutic effect. Suppressive effect of diclofenac and flurbiprofen on tumor growth was also observed under in vitro conditions. We conclude that suppressive effect of these drugs on tumor growth in vivo comprises both direct effects of COX inhibitors on fibrosarcoma cells and indirect effects that are presumably mediated by extratumoral sources. Our findings encourage the use of COX inhibitors in the therapy of fibrosarcoma.