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Targeting mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase with the inhibitor PD0325901 decreases hepatocellular carcinoma growth in vitro and in mouse model systems
Author(s) -
Hennig Matthew,
YipSchneider Michele T.,
Wentz Sabrina,
Wu Huangbing,
Hekmatyar S. K.,
Klein Patrick,
Bansal Navin,
Schmidt C. Max
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.23470
Subject(s) - kinase , protein kinase a , ex vivo , in vivo , cancer research , transforming growth factor , hepatocellular carcinoma , mek inhibitor , medicine , endocrinology , chemistry , biology , mapk/erk pathway , microbiology and biotechnology
Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cause of death from solid organ malignancy worldwide. Extracellular signal‐regulated/mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) signaling is a critical growth regulatory pathway in HCC. Targeting MEK with a novel small molecule inhibitor, PD0325901, may inhibit HCC tumorigenesis. PD0325901 (0.01‐100 nM) inhibited growth and MEK activity in vitro in immortalized murine transforming growth factor alpha (TGF‐α) transgenic hepatocyte (TAMH) cells, derived from the livers of TGF‐α transgenic mice. Treatment of athymic mice bearing TAMH flank tumors with vehicle or PD0325901 (20 mg/kg) revealed a significant reduction of MEK activity ex vivo 24 hours after a single PD0325901 dose. The growth rate of TAMH flank tumors over 16 days was reduced threefold in the treatment arm (1113 ± 269% versus 3077 ± 483%, P < 0.01). PD0325901 exhibited similar inhibitory effects in HepG2 and Hep3B human HCC cells in vitro and in Hep3B flank tumors in vivo . To confirm this in a developmental model, MT‐42 (CD‐1) TGF‐α mice were treated with vehicle or PD0325901 (20 mg/kg) for 5 weeks. Gross HCC was detected in 47% and 13.3% of the control and treatment mice, respectively. Tumor growth suppression by PD0325901 relative to vehicle was also shown by magnetic resonance imaging. These studies provide compelling preclinical evidence that targeting MEK in human clinical trials may be promising for the treatment of HCC. (H EPATOLOGY 2010.)