Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.
Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 28;7:45366. doi: 10.1038/srep45366.
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of cancer treatment. No medication has been shown to be effective in the treatment of CIPN. This study aims to integrate the image-based high-content screening, mouse behavior models and mechanistic cell-based assays to discover potential neuroprotective drugs. Among screened compounds, minoxidil showed the most potent neuroprotective effect against paclitaxel, with regard to neurite outgrowth of dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Minoxidil protected mice from thermal insensitivity and alleviated mechanical allodynia in paclitaxel-treated mice. The ultrastructure and quantified G-ratio of myelin integrity of sciatic nerve tissues supported the observations in mouse behavioral tests. The mechanistic study on DRG neurons suggested that minoxidil suppressed neuroinflammation and remodeled the dysregulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis provoked by paclitaxel. Importantly, minoxidil showed a synergistic anti-tumor effect with paclitaxel both in tumor xenograft models of cervical and breast cancer. Interestingly, the quantitative assays on hair length and hair growth both exhibited that minoxidil significantly improved the hair quality after chemotherapy. Since minoxidil is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the safety and biocompatibility are well documented. The immediate next step is to launch an early-stage clinical trial intending to prevent CIPN by minoxidil.
化疗引起的周围神经病(CIPN)是癌症治疗的常见副作用。目前尚无药物被证明对 CIPN 治疗有效。本研究旨在整合基于图像的高通量筛选、小鼠行为模型和基于细胞的机制研究,以发现潜在的神经保护药物。在筛选出的化合物中,米诺地尔对紫杉醇诱导的神经突生长具有最强的神经保护作用。米诺地尔可预防紫杉醇引起的热感觉过敏和机械性痛觉过敏。坐骨神经组织的超微结构和定量 G 比值表明米诺地尔对紫杉醇引起的髓鞘完整性改变具有保护作用。对背根神经节神经元的机制研究表明,米诺地尔可抑制神经炎症,并重塑紫杉醇引起的细胞内钙稳态失调。重要的是,米诺地尔与紫杉醇在宫颈癌和乳腺癌的肿瘤异种移植模型中具有协同抗肿瘤作用。有趣的是,头发长度和生长的定量检测均表明,米诺地尔可显著改善化疗后的头发质量。由于米诺地尔是食品和药物管理局(FDA)批准的药物,其安全性和生物相容性已有充分的文献记载。下一步将是开展一项早期临床试验,旨在通过米诺地尔预防 CIPN。
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