Effect of combination therapy with a novel bisphosphonate, minodronate (YM529), and docetaxel on a model of bone metastasis by human transitional cell carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary tract is a chemosensitive tumor. Most deaths from TCC of the urinary tract are caused by metastasis, which is resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Frequent sites of metastases from TCC of the urinary tract are regional lymph nodes, liver, lung, and bone. Of these distant metastases, bone metastasis is consistently resistant to cisplatin-based conventional chemotherapy. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether or not a newly developed minodronate, YM529, could prevent osteolytic bone metastasis of human TCC and also enhance the effect of docetaxel in a bone tumor model of athymic nude mice.


METHODS
In the present study, we evaluated the effect of in vitro treatment with minodronate and/or docetaxel on the proliferation by cell count, the induction of apoptosis by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and the biological activity of osteoclast by pit formation assay in human bladder cancer cell line, UMUC-14, and mouse osteoclast cells. In vivo, we examined the effect of minodronate in a bone tumor model of athymic nude mice, in which the percutaneous intraosseal injection in the tibia of UMUC-14, leads to osteolytic bone tumor, as a bone metastasis model. To examine whether or not minodronate could inhibit tumorigenicity and enhance the effect of the chemotherapeutic agent, docetaxel, we gave minodronate i.p. and/or docetaxel i.p. to nude mice 3 days after an intraosseal tumor implantation. Moreover, proliferation and the induction of apoptosis of cancer cells and osteoclasts in bone tumors were determined by immunohistochemistry and the TUNEL assay.


RESULTS
In vitro: In vitro treatment with docetaxel inhibited proliferation and resorption pit-forming activity and induced apoptosis of mouse osteoclast cells and UMUC-14 cells. In vitro treatment with minodronate inhibited proliferation and activity and induced apoptosis of mouse osteoclast cells but not UMUC-14 cells. The treatment with minodronate enhanced the inhibition of proliferation and activity by docetaxel in osteoclasts. In vivo: In vivo combination therapy with docetaxel and minodronate significantly reduced the tumor incidence compared with the control (P < 0.05) and also growth of intraossal TCC in athymic nude mice compared with the control (P < 0.001), single therapy with docetaxel (P < 0.01), and minodronate (P < 0.05). Drug-induced body weight loss was not significantly different in any treatment group. Therapy with minodronate significantly enhanced inhibition of proliferation by docetaxel in osteoclasts of bone tumors compared with the control (P < 0.01), single therapy with docetaxel (P < 0.01), and minodronate (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
These studies indicate that combination therapy with minodronate and docetaxel may be beneficial in patients with bone metastasis of human TCC in the urinary tract.
Inoue
Keiji
K
Department of Urology, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan. keiji@med.kochi-u.ac.jp
Karashima
Takashi
T
Fukata
Satoshi
S
Nomura
Asuka
A
Kawada
Chiaki
C
Kurabayashi
Atsushi
A
Furihata
Mutsuo
M
Ohtsuki
Yuji
Y
Shuin
Taro
T
D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000556:secondary; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000517:prevention & control; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D000071681:Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013977:Tibia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
D004164:Diphosphonates; D007093:Imidazoles; D007527:Isoenzymes; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D043823:Taxoids; C087958:YM 529; D000077143:Docetaxel; D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D000071681:Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase