title: Inhibition of the invasion capacity of carcinoma cells by WX-UK1, a novel synthetic inhibitor of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator system.
abstract: The overall survival rate of patients suffering from carcinomas has remained poor and nearly unchanged over the last decades. This is mainly due to the so-called minimal residual disease, i.e., remaining tumor cells that overcome surgery and/or radiotherapy and are the cause of locoregional and distant metastases. To metastasize, tumor cells take advantage of proteases to invade and remodel surrounding tissues. Here, we analyzed the efficiency of WX-UK1, a novel 3-amidinophenylalanine-based inhibitor of the uPA system, at inhibiting the invasive capacity of carcinoma cells. First, uPAR expression was characterized in different carcinoma cell lines, including SCCHN, breast and cervical carcinoma. Thereafter, the invasive potential of these cell lines was determined using Matrigel invasion chambers and a spheroid cocultivation model with human fibroblasts. uPAR expression levels correlated positively with invasion capacity, which could be significantly inhibited by WX-UK1. A decrease of tumor cell invasion by up to 50% was achieved in both models with the SCCHN line FaDu and the cervical carcinoma line HeLa after treatment with WX-UK1. Thus, our results demonstrate the potential of WX-UK1 in vitro as a promising adjuvant antimetastatic therapy of carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Grosshadern Medical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany. suna_ert@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Suna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ertongur
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wosikowski
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muehlenweg
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gires
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003094:Collagen; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007797:Laminin; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000517:prevention & control; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011509:Proteoglycans; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D007797:Laminin; C524898:PLAUR protein, human; D011509:Proteoglycans; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; C059485:matrigel; D010649:Phenylalanine; D003094:Collagen; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; C487758:N-alpha-(2,4,6-triisopropyl-phenylsulfonyl)-3-amidino-(L)-phenyl-alanine-4-ethoxycarbonyl-piperazide hydrochloride