Enhancement of hyperglycemia-induced acidification of human melanoma xenografts with inhibitors of respiration and ion transport.
OBJECTIVE
The authors performed this study to evaluate the selective acidification of a human melanoma xenograft in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency with the induction of hyperglycemia (mean blood glucose level +/- standard error of the mean, 26 mmol/L +/- 1) and the intraperitoneal administration of metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG, 30 mg/kg), alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (CNCn, 300 mg/kg), lonidamine (100 mg/kg), cariporide (HOE642, 160 mg/kg), or 4.4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2, 2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS, 50 mg/kg).


METHODS
The intra- and extracellular pH levels of tumor were estimated from the chemical shifts of inorganic phosphate and 3-aminopropylphosphonate, respectively, with phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy. The relative level of steady-state lactate was monitored with hydrogen-1 MR spectroscopy.


RESULTS
In small tumors (< or = 8.0 mm), hyperglycemia decreased the intra- and extracellular pH levels by less than 0.2. The combination of hyperglycemia and MIBG decreased the intra- and extracellular pH levels by approximately 0.4 and 0.6, respectively, and lowered the beta-nucleoside triphosphate (NTP)/inorganic phosphate (Pi) ratio of tumor and liver by about 60% and 25%, respectively. The combination of hyperglycemia, MIBG, and CNCn produced a transient decrease in the intracellular pH of about 0.6. The combination of hyperglycemia and lonidamine produced a sustained (>3 hours) 0.8-unit decrease in intracellular pH and an 83% and 100% decrease in PCr/P1 and beta-NTP/P1 ratios, respectively. The combination of hyperglycemia. MIBG, cariporide, and DIDS produced a gradual decrease in intra- and extracellular pH by 1.1 and 1.0, respectively. The relative level of steady-state lactate concentration in tumors increased 10% with hyperglycemia alone, about 20% with MIBG plus hyperglycemia, and increased more than twofold when hyperglycemia was combined with MIBG and CNCn administration.


CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary data suggest that hyperglycemia and combinations of respiratory and ion transport inhibitors can be used to selectively acidify tumors and, thereby, sensitize them to hyperthermnia or other pH-sensitive therapeutic modalities.
Zhou
R
R
Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
Bansal
N
N
Leeper
D B
DB
Pickup
S
S
Glickson
J D
JD
D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D019069:Cell Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D006019:Glycolysis; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000378:metabolism*; D017136:Ion Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation
D003373:Coumaric Acids; C007175:alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate; D019344:Lactic Acid; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine