ABSTRACT
5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) has recently been employed for photodynamic diagnosis (ALA-PDD) and photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) of various types of cancer because hyperproliferating tumor cells do not utilize oxidative phosphorylation and do not efficiently produce heme; instead, they accumulate protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), which is a precursor of heme that is activated by violet light irradiation that results in the production of red fluorescence and singlet oxygen. The efficiencies of ALA-PDD and ALA-PDT depend on the efficient cellular uptake of 5-ALA and the inefficient excretion of PpIX. We employed the JFCR39 cell panel to determine whether tumor cells originating from different tissues can produce and accumulate PpIX. We also investigated cellular factors/molecules involved in PpIX excretion by tumor cells with the JFCR39 cell panel. Unexpectedly, the expression levels of ABCG2, which has been considered to play a major role in PpIX extracellular transport, did not show a strong correlation with PpIX excretion levels in the JFCR39 cell panel, although an ABCG2 inhibitor significantly increased intracellular PpIX accumulation in several tumor cell lines. In contrast, the expression levels of dynamin 2, which is a cell membrane-associated molecule involved in exocytosis, were correlated with the PpIX excretion levels. Moreover, inhibitors of dynamin significantly suppressed PpIX excretion and increased the intracellular levels of PpIX. This is the first report demonstrating the causal relationship between dynamin 2 expression and PpIX excretion in tumor cells.
Subject(s)
Aminolevulinic Acid/pharmacology , Dynamin II/metabolism , Exocytosis/drug effects , Mitochondria/drug effects , Photosensitizing Agents/metabolism , Protoporphyrins/metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor , Dynamin II/antagonists & inhibitors , Dynamin II/genetics , Exocytosis/radiation effects , Heme/antagonists & inhibitors , Heme/biosynthesis , Humans , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Mitochondria/metabolism , Mitochondria/pathology , Mitochondria/radiation effects , Photochemotherapy , Trimethyl Ammonium Compounds/pharmacology , Ultraviolet RaysABSTRACT
Early detection and intervention are needed for optimal outcomes in cancer therapy. Improvements in diagnostic technology, including endoscopy, photodynamic diagnosis (PDD), and photodynamic therapy (PDT), have allowed substantial progress in the treatment of cancer. 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a natural, delta amino acid biosynthesized by animal and plant mitochondria. ALA is a precursor of porphyrin, heme, and bile pigments, and it is metabolized into protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in the course of heme synthesis. PpIX preferentially accumulates in tumor cells resulting in a red fluorescence following irradiation with violet light and the formation of singlet oxygen. This reaction, utilized to diagnose and treat cancer, is termed ALA-induced PDD and PDT. In this review, the biological significance of heme metabolites, the mechanism of PpIX accumulation in tumor cells, and the therapeutic potential of ALA-induced PDT alone and combined with hyperthermia and immunotherapy are discussed.
Subject(s)
Aminolevulinic Acid/pharmacology , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Neoplasms/drug therapy , Photosensitizing Agents/pharmacology , Aminolevulinic Acid/chemistry , Heme/biosynthesis , Heme/chemistry , Heme/metabolism , Humans , Molecular Structure , Photochemotherapy , Photosensitizing Agents/chemistryABSTRACT
Apelin regulates various cell signaling processes through interaction with its specific cell-surface receptor, APJ, which is a member of a seven transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. To develop a novel apelin analogue, we synthesized cyclic analogues of minimal apelin fragment RPRLSHKGPMPF (apelin-12), and evaluated their bioactivities in a recombinant human APJ-expressed cell line. Three cyclic analogues were synthesized: cyclo apelin-12 (C1) in combination with amino-terminal to carboxy-terminal, cyclourea apelin-12 (C3) in combination with amino-terminal and amino acid side chain at positions 7, and cyclic apelin-12 (C4) in combination with amino acid side chain at positions 7 to carboxy-terminal. All cyclic analogues exhibited dose-dependent inhibitory effects against forskolin-induced cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation, and the maximal effects were almost abolished by pertussis toxin (PTx) treatment. Moreover, they could modulate the intracellular signaling pathways composed of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) serine/threonine protein kinases in PTx-sensitive manner. This is the first approach to apply cyclization on apelin, and these results provide the basis for the development of drug-like apelin analogues.
