Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Gynecol Oncol. 2014 Jul;134(1):112-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2014.04.005. Epub 2014 Apr 13.
Objective. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is known to regulate cellular proliferation and plays a role in chemoresistance. Niclosamide, an FDA approved salicyclamide derivative used for the treatment of tapeworm infections, targets the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate niclosamide as a potential therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer. Methods. Tumor cells isolated from 34 patients' ascites with primary ovarian cancer were treated with niclosamide (0.1 to 5 μM) ± carboplatin (5 to 150 μM). Cell viability was assessed using the ATP-lite assay. LRP6, Axin 2, Cyclin D1, survivin and cytosolic free β-catenin levels were determined using Western blot analysis. Tumorspheres were treated, and Wnt transcriptional activity was measured by the TOPflash reporter assay. ALDH and CD133 were analyzed by Flow cytometry and IHC. ALDH1A1 and LRP6 were analyzed by IHC in solid tumor and in ascites before and after treatment with niclosamide. Results. Combination treatment produced increased cytotoxicity compared to single agent treatment in 32/34 patient samples. Western blot analysis showed a decrease in Wnt/β-catenin pathway proteins and the expression of target genes. A significant reduction of Wnt/β-catenin signaling was confirmed by TOPflash assay. There was increased staining of ALDH1A1 and LRP6 in ascites compared to solid tumor which decreased after treatment. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that niclosamide is a potent Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor. Targeting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway led to decreased cellular proliferation and increased cell death. These findings warrant further research of this drug and other niclosamide analogs as a treatment option for ovarian cancer.
目的。Wnt/β-连环蛋白途径已知可调节细胞增殖,并在化学抗性中起作用。尼氯硝唑是一种已被 FDA 批准的用于治疗绦虫感染的水杨酰胺衍生物,靶向 Wnt/β-连环蛋白途径。因此,本研究的目的是研究尼氯硝唑作为卵巢癌潜在的治疗剂。方法。用尼氯硝唑(0.1 至 5 μM)±卡铂(5 至 150 μM)处理从 34 名原发性卵巢癌患者腹水分离的肿瘤细胞。使用 ATP-lite 测定法评估细胞活力。使用 Western blot 分析测定 LRP6、Axin 2、Cyclin D1、survivin 和细胞质游离β-连环蛋白水平。用 TOPflash 报告基因测定法处理肿瘤球体,并测量 Wnt 转录活性。用流式细胞术和免疫组化分析 ALDH 和 CD133。用免疫组化分析固瘤和腹水标本中尼氯硝唑治疗前后 ALDH1A1 和 LRP6 的表达。结果。与单药治疗相比,联合治疗在 34 例患者样本中的 32 例中产生了更高的细胞毒性。Western blot 分析显示 Wnt/β-连环蛋白途径蛋白和靶基因的表达减少。TOPflash 测定证实 Wnt/β-连环蛋白信号显著降低。与固瘤相比,腹水标本中 ALDH1A1 和 LRP6 的染色增加,治疗后减少。结论。本研究表明尼氯硝唑是一种有效的 Wnt/β-连环蛋白抑制剂。靶向 Wnt/β-连环蛋白途径导致细胞增殖减少和细胞死亡增加。这些发现证明了这种药物和其他尼氯硝唑类似物作为卵巢癌治疗选择的进一步研究是合理的。