K. Nishio et al., ANTITUMOR EFFECTS OF BUTYROLACTONE-I, A SELECTIVE CDC2 KINASE INHIBITOR, ON HUMAN LUNG-CANCER CELL-LINES, Anticancer research, 16(6B), 1996, pp. 3387-3395
Butyrolactone I, which is a naturally occurring specific inhibitor of
the cdc2 kinase family, showed antitumor effects on several non-small-
and small-cell-lung cancer cell lines with IC50 values the order of 5
0 mu g/ml on the former. No cross-resistance of several drug-resistant
cell lines, including those with the multidrug-resistant phenotype an
d five cisplatin-resistant cell lines to butyrolactone I was observed.
The cdc2 kinase activity of PC-14 cells was inhibited by treatment wi
th 20 mu g/ml butyrolactone I, a concentration comparable to the IC50
value, for 2 hours. Longer exposure to butyrolactone I (>24 hours) red
uced the cdc2 kinase protein level. Butyrolactone I arrested the cells
at the G2/M phase in a concentration dependent manner These results s
uggest that butyrolactone I actually acts on cdc2 kinase, rather than
other cdk kinases, in PC-14 cells. Inhibition of DNA synthesis, determ
ined by measuring thymidine uptake, occurred earlier (2 hours) after i
nitiating exposure than the decrease in the cdc2 protein level and was
concentration dependent, suggesting that butyrolactone I inhibited DN
A synthesis. Cell permeabilization by digitonin enhanced DNA synthesis
inhibition by butyrolactone I, suggesting that the permeability of th
e membrane to this agent was the limiting factor for its growth inhibi
tory effect. Many anticancer agents, such as alkylating agents and cis
platin, cause cells to accumulate at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle.
We investigated whether butyrolactone I had any modulatory effect on
the antitumor effects of several anticancer drugs in vitro. Butyrolact
one I showed no modulatory effects on vindesine, paclitaxel, or etopos
ide, but exposure of PC-9 and PC-14 cells to butyrolactone I together
with or prior to treatment with cisplatin reduced the cytotoxicity of
the latter. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis revealed that butyrola
ctone I bound to cisplatin, which was a possible cause of the reduced
cisplatin cytotoxicity in the presence of bytyrolactone I.