title: Effect of Aplidin in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells.
abstract: The cytotoxic effect of Aplidin was investigated on fresh leukaemia cells derived from children with B-cell-precursor (BCP) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) by using stromal-layer culture system and on four cell lines, ALL-PO, Reh, ALL/MIK and TOM-1, derived from patients with ALL with different molecular genetic abnormalities. In ALL cell lines Aplidin was cytotoxic at nanomolar concentrations. In the ALL cell lines the drug-induced cell death was clearly related to the induction of apoptosis and appeared to be p53-independent. Only in ALL-PO 20 nM Aplidin treatment caused a block of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion and downregulation of VEGF-mRNA, but Aplidin cytotoxicity does not seem to be related to VEGF inhibition since the sensitivity of ALL-PO cells to Aplidin is comparable to that observed for the other cells used. Aplidin induced a G(1) and a G(2) M block in ALL cell lines. In patient-derived leukaemia cells, Aplidin induced a strong cytotoxicity evidenced in a stroma-supported immunocytometric assay. Cells from children with genetic abnormalities such as t(9;22) and t(4;11) translocations, associated with an inferior treatment outcome, were sensitive to Aplidin to the same extent as that observed in other BCP-ALL cases. Aplidin exerted a strong cell killing effect (>88%) against primary culture cells from five relapsed ALL cases, at concentrations much lower than those reported to be achieved in plasma of patients receiving Aplidin at recommended doses. Taken together these data suggest that Aplidin could be a new anticancer drug to be investigated in ALL patients resistant to available therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche 'Mario Negri', Via Eritrea, 62-20157 Milan, Italy. erba@marionegri.it
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Erba
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serafini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gaipa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tognon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Celli
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rotilio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Broggini
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jimeno
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Faircloth
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biondi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Incalci
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D047630:Depsipeptides; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007621:Karyotyping; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047630:Depsipeptides; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008222:Lymphokines; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; C098980:plitidepsin