title: Antitumor activity of pimasertib, a selective MEK 1/2 inhibitor, in combination with PI3K/mTOR inhibitors or with multi-targeted kinase inhibitors in pimasertib-resistant human lung and colorectal cancer cells.
abstract: The RAS/RAF/MEK/MAPK and the PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways are key regulators of proliferation and survival in human cancer cells. Selective inhibitors of different transducer molecules in these pathways have been developed as molecular targeted anti-cancer therapies. The in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity of pimasertib, a selective MEK 1/2 inhibitor, alone or in combination with a PI3K inhibitor (PI3Ki), a mTOR inhibitor (everolimus), or with multi-targeted kinase inhibitors (sorafenib and regorafenib), that block also BRAF and CRAF, were tested in a panel of eight human lung and colon cancer cell lines. Following pimasertib treatment, cancer cell lines were classified as pimasertib-sensitive (IC50 for cell growth inhibition of 0.001 µM) or pimasertib-resistant. Evaluation of basal gene expression profiles by microarrays identified several genes that were up-regulated in pimasertib-resistant cancer cells and that were involved in both RAS/RAF/MEK/MAPK and PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways. Therefore, a series of combination experiments with pimasertib and either PI3Ki, everolimus, sorafenib or regorafenib were conducted, demonstrating a synergistic effect in cell growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis with sustained blockade in MAPK- and AKT-dependent signaling pathways in pimasertib-resistant human colon carcinoma (HCT15) and lung adenocarcinoma (H1975) cells. Finally, in nude mice bearing established HCT15 and H1975 subcutaneous tumor xenografts, the combined treatment with pimasertib and BEZ235 (a dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor) or with sorafenib caused significant tumor growth delays and increase in mice survival as compared to single agent treatment. These results suggest that dual blockade of MAPK and PI3K pathways could overcome intrinsic resistance to MEK inhibition.
authors: Oncologia Medica, Dipartimento Medico- Chirurgico di Internistica Clinica e Sperimentale, F. Magrassi e A. Lanzara, Seconda Universitá degli Studi di Napoli, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131, Napoli, Italia.
authors: Erika
authors: E
authors: Martinelli
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Troiani
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: D'Aiuto
authors: Floriana
authors: F
authors: Morgillo
authors: Donata
authors: D
authors: Vitagliano
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Capasso
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Costantino
authors: Loreta Pia
authors: LP
authors: Ciuffreda
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Merolla
authors: Loredana
authors: L
authors: Vecchione
authors: Veerle
authors: V
authors: De Vriendt
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Tejpar
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Nappi
authors: Vincenzo
authors: V
authors: Sforza
authors: Giulia
authors: G
authors: Martini
authors: Liberato
authors: L
authors: Berrino
authors: Raffaele
authors: R
authors: De Palma
authors: Fortunato
authors: F
authors: Ciardiello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D048370:MAP Kinase Kinase 2 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000378:metabolism; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D058539:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011725:Pyridines; C559147:regorafenib; C482128:MAP2K2 protein, human; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058539:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D048370:MAP Kinase Kinase 2; C482125:MAP2K1 protein, human; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human
keywords: MEK inhibitors; colorectal cancer; combination of molecular targeted therapies; lung cancer