Induction of differentiation and apoptosis in cancer cells through ligands of nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) is a novel and promising approach to cancer therapy. All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), an RA receptor-specific NHR ligand, is now used for selective cancers.

We have synthesized and studied the ability of a series of seven novel 1 alpha,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 analogues to inhibit clonal growth of prostate cancer cells (LNCaP, PC-3 and DU-145). Addition of double and triple bonds to the C/D ring (C-16) and side chain (C-22 and C-23) as well as lengthening of the side chain were important for enhanced activity against LNCaP and PC-3. Reorientation of the side chain in the 20-epi configuration resulted in analogues that were extremely potent only against LNCaP (ED50 approximately 5 x 10(-11) M). Compounds with six fluorines on the end of the side chain were very active against both PC-3 and LNCaP (ED50 approximately 2 x 10(-8) M). DU-145 cells were relatively resistant to compounds with all of these modifications, but removal of C-19 (e.g. 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-26,27-F6-19-nor-D3) resulted in an analogue that was inhibitory against all three prostate cell lines. Further analysis showed that pulse exposure (3 days, 10(-7) M) to this analogue was enough to inhibit clonal growth of PC-3 cells by 50%. The same exposure also induced cell cycle arrest of all three cell lines, accompanied by upregulated protein expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) known as p21waf1 in all three cell lines, and the CDKI known as p27kip1 in LNCaP cells. Associated with upregulation of these CDKIs, partial differentiation occurred as measured by increased expression of both prostate-specific antigen by LNCaP cells and E-cadherin, a cell adhesion protein that may act as a putative tumour suppressor (LNCaP and PC-3 cells). In summary, this is the first report of a potent series of 19-nor-vitamin D3 analogues with the ability to inhibit proliferation of LNCaP, PC-3 and DU-145 prostate cancer cell lines. These compounds may mediate their potent anti-proliferative activities through a cell cycle arrest pathway.

Invasion and metastasis are the main causes of death in breast cancer patients. Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially gelatinases (MMP-2 and -9), has been closely associated with tumor progression. One of the nuclear hormone receptors (NHR), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor that regulates cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in both normal and cancer cells. Recent data indicate that PPARgamma activation by its ligands can also lead to the inhibition of gelatinase B (MMP-9) and the blockage of migration in macrophages and muscle cells, implying the possibility that PPARgamma ligands may possess anti-invasive activities on tumor cells. In this study, we showed that treatment of the highly aggressive human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with the synthetic PPARgamma ligands pioglitazone (PGZ), rosiglitazone (RGZ), GW7845 or its natural ligand 15-deoxy-delta 12, 14-prostaglandin J2(15d-PGJ2), at concentrations at which no obvious cytotoxicity was observed in vitro, led to a significant inhibition of the invasive capacities of this cell line through a reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel) in a Transwell chamber model. All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), a ligand for retinoic acid receptor (RAR), was also studied and showed a similar inhibitory effect on invasion. Although no change was observed in the expression of MMP-9 after challenge with PPARgamma ligands and/or ATRA on this cell line, the natural tissue inhibitor of gelatinases, namely the tissue inhibitor of MMP 1 (TIMP-1) was upregulated by these treatments and the gelatinolytic activities of gelatinases in the conditioned media were decreased. Since MMP-2 was not detectable in the conditioned media of MDA-MB-231 cells, and the gelatinolytic activities of the conditioned media were reduced only by MMP-9 neutralizing antibodies, it is most likely that the reduction of gelatinolytic activities by PPARgamma ligands and/or ATRA was due to the decrease of MMP-9 activities. Because MMP-9 was absolutely required in the transmigration of this cell line through Matrigel in our in vitro model as demonstrated by neutralizing antibodies against MMP-2 and -9, we concluded that down-regulation of gelatinase activities is, at least in part, responsible for the reduction of the invasive capacities of MDA-MB-231 cell line in vitro. Our results, for the first time, indicate that PPARgamma ligands may have therapeutic value for the treatment of highly invasive breast cancer by targeting its invasive behavior.