BKM120 induces apoptosis and inhibits tumor growth in medulloblastoma

PLoS One. 2017 Jun 29;12(6):e0179948. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179948. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all childhood brain tumors. New treatment strategies are needed to improve patient survival outcomes and to reduce adverse effects of current therapy. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) intracellular signaling pathway plays a key role in cellular metabolism, proliferation, survival and angiogenesis, and is often constitutively activated in human cancers, providing unique opportunities for anticancer therapeutic intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pre-clinical activity of BKM120, a selective pan-class I PI3K inhibitor, on MB cell lines and primary samples. IC50 values of BKM120 in the twelve MB cell lines tested ranged from 0.279 to 4.38 μM as determined by cell viability assay. IncuCyte ZOOM Live-Cell Imaging system was used for kinetic monitoring of cytotoxicity of BKM120 and apoptosis in MB cells. BKM120 exhibited cytotoxicity in MB cells in a dose and time-dependent manner by inhibiting activation of downstream signaling molecules AKT and mTOR, and activating caspase-mediated apoptotic pathways. Furthermore, BKM120 decreased cellular glycolytic metabolic activity in MB cell lines in a dose-dependent manner demonstrated by ATP level per cell. In MB xenograft mouse study, DAOY cells were implanted in the flank of nude mice and treated with vehicle, BKM120 at 30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg via oral gavage daily. BKM120 significantly suppressed tumor growth and prolonged mouse survival. These findings help to establish a basis for clinical trials of BKM120, which could be a novel therapy for the treatment of medulloblastoma patients.

MeSH terms

  • Aminopyridines / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Humans
  • Medulloblastoma / pathology*
  • Mice
  • Morpholines / pharmacology*
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase / genetics
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase / metabolism
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors*
  • RNA, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Survival Analysis
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Aminopyridines
  • Morpholines
  • NVP-BKM120
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • RNA, Neoplasm
  • MTOR protein, human
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Swifty Foundation, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, Meryl and Charles Witmer Foundation, and the Beat NB Foundation (GSS). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.