Anti-Androgen Abiraterone Acetate Improves the Therapeutic Efficacy of Statins on Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells.

The treatment of castration-resistant (CR) prostate cancer (PCa) is limited. A sub-population of CR PCa tumors can synthesize androgens for intracrine androgen receptor (AR) activation, thus targeting androgen biosynthesis could be an effective therapeutic option for these patients. We determined that androgen biosynthesis inhibitors simvastatin, atorvastatin, and ketoconazole directly inhibit growth, migration, and colony formation of LNCaP C-81 cells, which exhibit de novo androgen biosynthesis, with simvastatin being the most effective. Importantly, in combination treatments, statins specifically enhanced growth suppression with added effects by anti-androgen abiraterone acetate on the CR PCa cells. Thus, statins can be used in conjunction with abiraterone acetate to enhance anti-androgen therapy for CR PCa.

Antiproliferative activity of novel imidazopyridine derivatives on castration-resistant human prostate cancer cells.

Metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) relapses after a short period of androgen deprivation therapy and becomes the castration-resistant prostate cancer (CR PCa); to which the treatment is limited. Hence, it is imperative to identify novel therapeutic agents towards this patient population. In the present study, antiproliferative activities of novel imidazopyridines were compared. Among three derivatives, PHE, AMD and AMN, examined, AMD showed the highest inhibitory activity on LNCaP C-81 cell proliferation, following dose- and time-dependent manner. Additionally, AMD exhibited significant antiproliferative effect against a panel of PCa cells, but not normal prostate epithelial cells. Further, when compared to AMD, its derivative DME showed higher inhibitory activities on PCa cell proliferation, clonogenic potential and in vitro tumorigenicity. The inhibitory activity was apparently in part due to the induction of apoptosis. Mechanistic studies indicate that AMD and DME treatments inhibited both AR and PI3K/Akt signaling. The results suggest that better understanding of inhibitory mechanisms of AMD and DME could help design novel therapeutic agents for improving the treatment of CR PCa.

Human prostatic acid phosphatase: structure, function and regulation.

Human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAcP) is a 100 kDa glycoprotein composed of two subunits. Recent advances demonstrate that cellular PAcP (cPAcP) functions as a protein tyrosine phosphatase by dephosphorylating ErbB-2/Neu/HER-2 at the phosphotyrosine residues in prostate cancer (PCa) cells, which results in reduced tumorigenicity. Further, the interaction of cPAcP and ErbB-2 regulates androgen sensitivity of PCa cells. Knockdown of cPAcP expression allows androgen-sensitive PCa cells to develop the castration-resistant phenotype, where cells proliferate under an androgen-reduced condition. Thus, cPAcP has a significant influence on PCa cell growth. Interestingly, promoter analysis suggests that PAcP expression can be regulated by NF-κB, via a novel binding sequence in an androgen-independent manner. Further understanding of PAcP function and regulation of expression will have a significant impact on understanding PCa progression and therapy.

Novel INTeraction of MUC4 and galectin: potential pathobiological implications for metastasis in lethal pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: Several studies have reported aberrant expression of MUC4 in pancreatic cancer (PC), which is associated with tumorigenicity and metastasis. Mechanisms through which MUC4 promote metastasis of PC cells to distant organs are poorly defined. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Identification of MUC4-galectin-3 interaction and its effect on the adhesion of cancer cells to endothelial cells were done by immunoprecipitation and cell-cell adhesion assays, respectively. Serum galectin-3 level for normal and PC patients were evaluated through ELISA. RESULTS: In the present study, we have provided clinical evidence that the level of galectin-3 is significantly elevated in the sera of PC patients with metastatic disease compared with patients without metastasis (P = 0.04) and healthy controls (P = 0.00001). Importantly, for the first time, we demonstrate that MUC4 present on the surface of circulating PC cells plays a significant role in the transient and reversible attachment (docking) of circulating tumor cells to the surface of endothelial cells. Further, exogenous galectin-3 at concentrations similar to that found in the sera of PC patients interacts with MUC4 via surface glycans such as T antigens, which results in the clustering of MUC4 on the cell surface and a stronger attachment (locking) of circulating tumor cells to the endothelium. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, these findings suggest that PC cell-associated MUC4 helps in the docking of tumor cells on the endothelial surface. During cancer progression, MUC4-galectin-3 interaction-mediated clustering of MUC4 may expose the surface adhesion molecules, which in turn promotes a stronger attachment (locking) of tumor cells to the endothelial surface.