Para to ortho repositioning of the arsenical moiety of the angiogenesis inhibitor 4-(N-(S-glutathionylacetyl)amino)phenylarsenoxide results in a markedly increased cellular accumulation and antiproliferative activity

Cancer Res. 2005 Dec 15;65(24):11729-34. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-2797.

Abstract

The synthetic tripeptide arsenical 4-(N-(S-glutathionylacetyl)amino)p-phenylarsenoxide (p-GSAO) is an angiogenesis inhibitor that inactivates mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) by cross-linking a pair of matrix-facing cysteine residues. This causes an increase in superoxide levels and proliferation arrest of endothelial cells followed by mitochondrial depolarization and apoptosis. p-GSAO induces proliferation arrest in endothelial cells and is a selective inhibitor of endothelial cells compared with tumor cells. An analogue of p-GSAO has been made in which the arsenical moiety is at the ortho instead of the para position on the phenyl ring. o-GSAO, like p-GSAO, bound to ANT in a dithiol-dependent manner but was approximately 8-fold more efficient than p-GSAO at triggering the mitochondria permeability transition in isolated mitochondria. o-GSAO was an approximately 50-fold more potent inhibitor of endothelial and tumor cell proliferation than p-GSAO. The mechanism of this effect was a consequence of approximately 300-fold faster rate of accumulation of o-GSAO in the cells, which is due, at least in part, to impaired export by the multidrug resistance-associated protein 1. Administration of o-GSAO to tumor-bearing mice delayed tumor growth by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis but there were side effects not observed with p-GSAO administration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Animals
  • Aorta / cytology
  • Aorta / drug effects
  • Aorta / metabolism
  • Arsenicals / therapeutic use*
  • Cattle
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Endothelium, Vascular / cytology
  • Endothelium, Vascular / drug effects*
  • Endothelium, Vascular / metabolism
  • Female
  • Glutathione / analogs & derivatives*
  • Glutathione / therapeutic use
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mitochondria / enzymology
  • Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases / metabolism
  • Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins / metabolism
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / prevention & control*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / blood supply
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Superoxides / metabolism
  • Toluene / analogs & derivatives
  • Toluene / metabolism

Substances

  • 4-(N-(S-glutathionylacetyl)amino)phenylarsenoxide
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Arsenicals
  • Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins
  • Superoxides
  • Toluene
  • Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases
  • Glutathione
  • dithiol
  • multidrug resistance-associated protein 1