Potent organometallic osmium compounds induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and S-phase cell cycle arrest in A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells

YesThe problems of acquired resistance associated with platinum drugs may be addressed by chemotherapeutics based on other transition metals as they offer the possibility of novel mechanisms of action. In this study, the cellular uptake and induction of apoptosis in A549 human non-small cell lung cancer cells of three promising osmium(II) arene complexes containing azopyridine ligands,[Os(Z6-arene)( p-R-phenylazopyridine)X]PF6, where arene is p-cymene or biphenyl, R is OH or NMe2, and X is Cl or I, were investigated. These complexes showed time-dependent (4–48 h) potent anticancer activity with highest potency after 24 h (IC50 values ranging from 0.1 to 3.6 mM). Cellular uptake of the three compounds as quantified by ICP-MS, was independent of their log P values (hydrophobicity). Furthermore, maximum cell uptake was observed after 24 h, with evident cell efflux of the osmium after 48 and 72 h of exposure, which correlated with the corresponding IC50 values. The most active compound 2, [Os(Z6-p-cymene)(NMe2-phenylazopyridine)I]PF6, was taken up by lung cancer cells pre-dominately in a temperature-dependent manner indicating that energy-dependent mechanisms are important in the uptake of 2. Cell fractionation studies showed that all three compounds accumulated mainly in cellular membranes. Furthermore, compound 2 induced apoptosis and caused accumulation in the S-phase of the cell cycle. In addition, 2 induced cytochrome c release and alterations in mito-chondrial membrane potential even after short exposure times, indicating that mitochondrial apoptotic pathways are involved. This study represents the first steps towards understanding the mode of action of this promising class of new osmium-based chemotherapeutics

Clinical case of a patient undergoing radium-223 treatment following treatment with abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide

Objective: Over the last decade, significant advances have been made in the development of therapies for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Abiraterone and enzalutamide were approved as treatments based on data supporting improved overall survival compared to placebo. Radium-223 became the first approved radiopharmaceutical which decreased skeletal-related events, palliated pain, and showed improved overall survival in symptomatic patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastasis only. Materials and Methods: We present the case of an eighty-two year old man with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who was treated with sequential therapy (abiraterone — enzalutamide — radium-223). The sequencing and treatment used for our patient was viable because of his clinical characteristics, which have allowed for longer survival time with an acceptable quality of life. These actions must be agreed on by the Multidisciplinary Tumour Board, in order to optimize the use of available courses of treatment. Results: The treatment of these patients is changing rapidly, but many questions remain regarding the optimal sequencing of the available drugs. Sequential or concomitant use of the next generation hormonal agents — abiraterone and enzalutamide — cannot currently be recommended. Data regarding the safety of concomitant abiraterone, enzalutamide or denosumab with radium-223 is reassuring and timely. However, we cannot advocate the general use of combined radium-223 therapy at this time, irrespective of prior therapy. Conclusion: A better understanding of active mechanisms, the genetic characteristics of each metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and the development of new prognostic and predictive biomarkers will help determine sequencing or different combination treatments for each individual patient. Key Words: castration-resistant prostate cancer, treatment sequence, abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide, radiopharmaceutic

Contrasting anticancer activity of half-sandwich iridium(III) complexes bearing functionally diverse 2-phenylpyridine ligands

We report the synthesis, characterization, and antiproliferative activity of 15 iridium(III) half-sandwich complexes of the type [(η5-Cp*)Ir(2-(R′-phenyl)-R-pyridine)Cl] bearing either an electron-donating (−OH, −CH2OH, −CH3) or electron-withdrawing (−F, −CHO, −NO2) group at various positions on the 2-phenylpyridine (2-PhPy) chelating ligand giving rise to six sets of structural isomers. The X-ray crystal structures of [(η5-Cp*)Ir(2-(2′-fluorophenyl)pyridine)Cl] (1) and [(η5-Cp*)Ir(2-(4′-fluorophenyl)pyridine)Cl] (2) exhibit the expected “piano-stool” configuration. DFT calculations showed that substituents caused only localized effects on the electrostatic potential surface of the chelating 2-PhPy ligand of the complexes. Hydrolysis of all complexes is rapid, but readily reversed by addition of NaCl. The complexes show preferential binding to 9-ethylguanine over 9-methyladenine and are active catalysts for the oxidation of NADH to NAD+. Antiproliferative activity experiments in A2780 ovarian, MCF-7 breast, A549 lung, and HCT116 colon cancer cell lines showed IC50 values ranging from 1 to 89 μM, with the most potent complex, [(η5-Cp*)Ir(2-(2′-methylphenyl)pyridine)Cl] (13) (A2780 IC50 = 1.18 μM), being 10× more active than the parent, [(η5-Cp*)Ir(2-phenylpyridine)Cl], and 2× more active than [(η5-CpxPh)Ir(2-phenylpyridine)Cl]. Intriguingly, contrasting biological activities are observed between structural isomers despite exhibiting similar chemical reactivity. For pairs of structural isomers both the nature and position of the functional group can affect the hydrophobicity of the complex. An increase in hydrophobicity resulted in enhanced cellular-iridium accumulation in A2780 ovarian cells, which generally gave rise to an increase in potency. The structural isomers [(η5-Cp*)Ir(2-(4′-fluorophenyl)pyridine)Cl] (2) and [(η5-Cp*)Ir(2-phenyl-5-fluoropyridine)Cl] (4) preferentially localized in the cytosol > membrane and particulate > nucleus > cytoskeleton. This work highlights the strong dependence of biological behavior on the nature and position of the substituent on the chelating ligand and shows how this class of organometallic anticancer complexes can be fine-tuned to increase their potency without using extended cyclopentadienyl systems

Organometallic iridium(III) anticancer complexes with new mechanisms of action: NCI-60 screening, mitochondrial targeting, and apoptosis

Platinum complexes related to cisplatin, cis-[PtCl2(NH3)2], are successful anticancer drugs; however, other transition metal complexes offer potential for combating cisplatin resistance, decreasing side effects, and widening the spectrum of activity. Organometallic half-sandwich iridium (IrIII) complexes [Ir(Cpx)(XY)Cl]+/0 (Cpx = biphenyltetramethylcyclopentadienyl and XY = phenanthroline (1), bipyridine (2), or phenylpyridine (3)) all hydrolyze rapidly, forming monofunctional G adducts on DNA with additional intercalation of the phenyl substituents on the Cpx ring. In comparison, highly potent complex 4 (Cpx = phenyltetramethylcyclopentadienyl and XY = N,N-dimethylphenylazopyridine) does not hydrolyze. All show higher potency toward A2780 human ovarian cancer cells compared to cisplatin, with 1, 3, and 4 also demonstrating higher potency in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) NCI-60 cell-line screen. Use of the NCI COMPARE algorithm (which predicts mechanisms of action (MoAs) for emerging anticancer compounds by correlating NCI-60 patterns of sensitivity) shows that the MoA of these IrIII complexes has no correlation to cisplatin (or oxaliplatin), with 3 and 4 emerging as particularly novel compounds. Those findings by COMPARE were experimentally probed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of A2780 cells exposed to 1, showing mitochondrial swelling and activation of apoptosis after 24 h. Significant changes in mitochondrial membrane polarization were detected by flow cytometry, and the potency of the complexes was enhanced ca. 5× by co-administration with a low concentration (5 μM) of the γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase inhibitor L-buthionine sulfoximine (L-BSO). These studies reveal potential polypharmacology of organometallic IrIII complexes, with MoA and cell selectivity governed by structural changes in the chelating ligands

Conjugation of a Ru(II) Arene Complex to Neomycin or to Guanidinoneomycin Leads to Compounds with Differential Cytotoxicities and Accumulation between Cancer and Normal Cells

A straightforward methodology for the synthesis of conjugates between a cytotoxic organometallic ruthenium(II) complex and amino- and guanidinoglycosides, as potential RNA-targeted anticancer compounds, is described. Under microwave irradiation, the imidazole ligand incorporated on the aminoglycoside moiety (neamine or neomycin) was found to replace one triphenylphosphine ligand from the ruthenium precursor [(η6-p-cym)RuCl(PPh3)2]+, allowing the assembly of the target conjugates. The guanidinylated analogue was easily prepared from the neomycin-ruthenium conjugate by reaction with N,N′-di-Boc-N″-triflylguanidine, a powerful guanidinylating reagent that was compatible with the integrity of the metal complex. All conjugates were purified by semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and characterized by electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and NMR spectroscopy. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was tested in MCF-7 (breast) and DU-145 (prostate) human cancer cells, as well as in the normal HEK293 (Human Embryonic Kidney) cell line, revealing a dependence on the nature of the glycoside moiety and the type of cell (cancer or healthy). Indeed, the neomycin-ruthenium conjugate (2) displayed moderate antiproliferative activity in both cancer cell lines (IC50 ≈ 80 μM), whereas the neamine conjugate (4) was inactive (IC50 ≈ 200 μM). However, the guanidinylated analogue of the neomycin-ruthenium conjugate (3) required much lower concentrations than the parent conjugate for equal effect (IC50 = 7.17 μM in DU-145 and IC50 = 11.33 μM in MCF-7). Although the same ranking in antiproliferative activity was found in the nontumorigenic cell line (3 2 > 4), IC50 values indicate that aminoglycoside-containing conjugates are about 2-fold more cytotoxic in normal cells (e.g., IC50 = 49.4 μM for 2) than in cancer cells, whereas an opposite tendency was found with the guanidinylated conjugate, since its cytotoxicity in the normal cell line (IC50 = 12.75 μM for 3) was similar or even lower than that found in MCF-7 and DU-145 cancer cell lines, respectively. Cell uptake studies performed by ICP-MS with conjugates 2 and 3 revealed that guanidinylation of the neomycin moiety had a positive effect on accumulation (about 3-fold higher in DU-145 and 4-fold higher in HEK293), which correlates well with the higher antiproliferative activity of 3. Interestingly, despite the slightly higher accumulation in the normal cell than in the cancer cell line (about 1.4-fold), guanidinoneomycin-ruthenium conjugate (3) was more cytotoxic to cancer cells (about 1.8-fold), whereas the opposite tendency applied for neomycin-ruthenium conjugate (2). Such differences in cytotoxic activity and cellular accumulation between cancer and normal cells open the way to the creation of more selective, less toxic anticancer metallodrugs by conjugating cytotoxic metal-based complexes such as ruthenium(II) arene derivatives to guanidinoglycosides

CLINICAL CASE OF A PATIENT UNDERGOING RADIUM-223 TREATMENT FOLLOWING TREATMENT WITH ABIRATERONE ACETATE AND ENZALUTAMIDE

Objective: Over the last decade, significant advances have been made in the development of therapies for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Abiraterone and enzalutamide were approved as treatments based on data supporting improved overall survival compared to placebo. Radium-223 became the first approved radiopharmaceutical which decreased skeletal-related events, palliated pain, and showed improved overall survival in symptomatic patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastasis only. Materials and Methods: We present the case of an eighty-two year old man with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who was treated with sequential therapy (abiraterone — enzalutamide — radium-223). The sequencing and treatment used for our patient was viable because of his clinical characteristics, which have allowed for longer survival time with an acceptable quality of life. These actions must be agreed on by the Multidisciplinary Tumour Board, in order to optimize the use of available courses of treatment. Results: The treatment of these patients is changing rapidly, but many questions remain regarding the optimal sequencing of the available drugs. Sequential or concomitant use of the next generation hormonal agents — abiraterone and enzalutamide — cannot currently be recommended. Data regarding the safety of concomitant abiraterone, enzalutamide or denosumab with radium-223 is reassuring and timely. However, we cannot advocate the general use of combined radium-223 therapy at this time, irrespective of prior therapy. Conclusion: A better understanding of active mechanisms, the genetic characteristics of each metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and the development of new prognostic and predictive biomarkers will help determine sequencing or different combination treatments for each individual patient. Key Words: castration-resistant prostate cancer, treatment sequence, abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide, radiopharmaceutic