1,6-Bis[4-(4-amino-3-hydroxyphenoxy)phenyl] diamantane potentiates and antitumor effects of irinotecan on human colorectal cancer cells.

1,6-Bis[4-(4-amino-3-hydroxyphenoxy)phenyl] diamantane (DPD), a diamantane derivative, was previously noted as an anticancer compound through anticancer drug screening with NCI-60 human tumor cells. Irinotecan (CPT-11), a semisynthetic derivative of camptothecin, is clinically active in the treatment of colorectal cancer, with no cross-resistance. The current study conducted a pharmacokinetic evaluation of DPD, an essential component of drug discovery. Subsequent pathway analysis of microarray gene expression data indicated that the anticancer mechanisms of DPD were associated with cell cycle progression and apoptosis. The combined effect of DPD and CPT-11 with regard to the mechanisms of apoptosis-related pathways in COLO 205 cells, and the antitumor effects in colon cancer xenograft mice, were investigated. The plasma concentration and pharmacokinetic parameters of DPD in male albino rats were analyzed following a single dose of DPD by injection. The protein expression of active caspase-3, procaspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) in COLO 205 cells treated with DPD and CPT-11, alone or combined, was evaluated by western blotting. A trypan blue dye exclusion assay revealed that, whilst DPD alone demonstrated good antitumor effects, this effect was potentiated when combined with CPT-11. Combined treatment with DPD and CPT-11 upregulated the expression of cleaved PARP, procaspase-3, caspase-3 and active caspase-3 in COLO 205 cells. In the colon cancer xenograft model, compared with the control (vehicle-treated) mice, the sizes of the tumors were significantly lower in mice treated with DPD and CPT-11, alone or in combination. Thus, DPD may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of colorectal cancer via upregulating apoptosis-related pathways.