Search

The identification of antitumoral substances is the focus of intense biomedical research. Two structural analogues of thalidomide, LNO3 and L3, are two synthetic compounds that might possess such antitumor properties. We evaluated the toxicological effects of these substances, including cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and induction of apoptosis in HTC cells. Additionally, the production of free radicals (nitric oxide and superoxide) was investigated, and the expression of caspases genes 3, 8, and 9 were determined by RT-qPCR. The compounds exhibited cytotoxic effects that resulted in inhibited cell proliferation. LNO3 showed to be more effective and toxic than L3 in all assays. LNO3 stimulated the release of NO and superoxide, which was accompanied by the formation of peroxynitrite. Apoptosis was induced in a dose-dependent manner by both compounds; however, the expression of caspases 3, 8 and 9 was unchanged. These results suggested that L3 and LNO3 possess antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in HTC cells. Additionally, although they exhibited cytotoxicity, L3 and LNO3 might be useful coadjuvants in tumor treatment studies.

A talidomida é conhecida por sua atividade antiinflamatória e imunomoduladora, controlando os sinais clínicos das doenças mais variadas, dentre elas o eritema nodoso leproso, doença de Crohn, artrite reumatóide, câncer, entre outros distúrbios vasculares e inflamatórios. Estudo anterior realizado em nosso laboratório mostrou que análogos da talidomida contendo diaminas e estrutura ftalimídica aberta são capazes de inibir in vitro a produção de citocinas pró-inflamatórias como TNF-a, IL-12, IL-6, IFN-g, CXCL9, CXCL10 e CD80, além de elevar os níveis de IL-10. Neste estudo, a atividade antiinflamatória de dois análogos de talidomida (GI-16 e SC-15) foi avaliada in vivo, utilizando o modelo de inflamação na pata induzido por injeção subplantar de carragenina em camundongos BALB/c, e o modelo de inflamação pulmonar induzida por inoculação intratraqueal com LPS em camundongos C57Bl/6. Além disso, a toxicidade aguda e sub-crónica destes compostos foi avaliada em ratos Wistar. Os resultados mostram que o tratamento com GI-16 (10mg/kg e 50mg/kg) e SC-15 (50mg/kg) reduziu significativamente (53-77%) o edema de pata induzido pela injeção subplantar de carragenina 2% por até 24 horas. No modelo de inflamação pulmonar com LPS (200μg/ml), os compostos GI-16 (20mg/kg e 50mg/kg) e SC-15 (50mg/kg) inibiram significativamente a produção de TNF- a (34%) e IL-6 (66% a 89%) no homogenato pulmonar dos animais testados. O composto SC-15 (50mg/kg) e a talidomida (50mg/kg) causaram aumento dos níveis de IL-10 (p

The anti-tumour effects of thalidomide have been associated with its anti-angiogenic properties. Second generation thalidomide analogues are distinct compounds with enhanced therapeutic potential. Although these compounds are beginning to enter trials for the treatment of cancer there is very little information regarding the anti-angiogenic activity of these clinically relevant compounds. Furthermore, it is not known how the various immunomodulatory activities of these compounds relate to anti-angiogenic activity. In this study we assessed the anti-angiogenic activity of compounds from both IMiD™ and SelCID™ classes of analogues using a novel in vitro multicellular human assay system and the established rat aorta assay. Our results show that both the IMiDs and SelCIDs tested are significantly more potent than thalidomide. The anti-angiogenic potency of the analogues was not related to inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation, nor their TNF-α/PDE type 4 inhibitory properties. However, anti-migratory effects in vitro and inhibition of tumour growth in vivo was observed with the analogue IMiD-1 (clinically known as REVIMID™). Our results show that anti-angiogenic activity spans both currently defined classes of thalidomide analogue and is not related to their previously described immunomodulatory properties. Identification of the differential effects of these compounds will enable targeting of such compounds into the appropriate clinical setting. British Journal of Cancer (2002) 87, 1166–1172. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6600607 www.bjcancer.com © 2002 Cancer Research UK