title: Glycogen synthase kinase 3β inhibitors induce apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells and inhibit in-vivo tumor growth.
abstract: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy among US women. Paclitaxel/carboplatin is the current drug therapy used to treat ovarian cancer, but most women develop drug resistance and recurrence of the disease, necessitating alternative strategies for treatment. A possible molecular target for cancer therapy is glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), a downstream kinase in the Wnt signaling pathway that is overexpressed in serous ovarian cancer. Novel maleimide-based GSK3β inhibitors (GSK3βi) were synthesized, selected, and tested in vitro using SKOV3 and OVCA432 serous ovarian cancer cell lines. From a panel of 10 inhibitors, GSK3βi 9ING41 was found to be the most effective in vitro. 9ING41 induced apoptosis as indicated by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-positive nuclear condensation, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining. The mechanism for apoptosis was through caspase-3 cleavage. GSK3βi upregulated phosphorylation of the inhibitory serine residue of GSK3β in OVCA432 and SKOV3 cell lines and also inhibited phosphorylation of the downstream target glycogen synthase. An in-vivo xenograft study using SKOV3 cells demonstrated that tumor progression was hindered by 9ING41 in vivo. The maximum tolerated dose for 9ING41 was greater than 500 mg/kg in rats. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed 9ING41 to have a bioavailability of 4.5% and to be well distributed in tissues. Therefore, GSK3β inhibitors alone or in combination with existing drugs may hinder the growth of serous ovarian cancers.
authors: Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 60607, USA.
authors: Tyvette S
authors: TS
authors: Hilliard
authors: Irina N
authors: IN
authors: Gaisina
authors: Amanda G
authors: AG
authors: Muehlbauer
authors: Arsen M
authors: AM
authors: Gaisin
authors: Franck
authors: F
authors: Gallier
authors: Joanna E
authors: JE
authors: Burdette
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001682:Biological Availability; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D012694:Serine; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605507:Gsk3b protein, mouse; C000605508:Gsk3b protein, rat; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; D053148:Caspase 3