Journal
MOLECULAR CANCER THERAPEUTICS
Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 204-214Publisher
AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH
DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-17-0384
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Department of Human Oncology Seed Grant
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center Support Grant [P30 CA014520]
- National Institutes of Health [RO1 AR47901]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Overexpression and activation of the EGFR have been linked to poor prognosis in several human cancers. Cetuximab is a mAb against EGFR that is used for the treatment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and metastatic colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, most tumors have intrinsic or will acquire resistance to cetuximab during the course of therapy. Honokiol is a natural compound found in the bark and leaves of the Chinese Magnolia tree and is established to have several anticancer properties without appreciable toxicity. In this study, we hypothesized that combining cetuximab and honokiol treatments could overcome acquired resistance to cetuximab. We previously developed a model of acquired resistance to cetuximab in non-small cell lung cancer H226 cell line. Treatment of cetuximab-resistant clones with honokiol and cetuximab resulted in a robust antiproliferative response. Immunoblot analysis revealed the HER family and their signaling pathways were downregulated after combination treatment, most notably the proliferation (MAPK) and survival (AKT) pathways. In addition, we found a decrease in phosphorylation of DRP1 and reactive oxygen species after combination treatment in cetuximab-resistant clones, which may signify a change in mitochondrial function. Furthermore, we utilized cetuximab-resistant HNSCC patient-derived xenografts (PDX) to test the benefit of combinatorial treatment in vivo. There was significant growth delay in PDX tumors after combination treatment with a subsequent downregulation of active MAPK, AKT, and DRP1 signaling as seen in vitro. Collectively, these data suggest that honokiol is a promising natural compound in overcoming acquired resistance to cetuximab. (C) 2017 AACR.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available