Project description:We demonstrate that regorafenib treatment suppresses multiple canonical pathways and transcriptions factors We used microarrays to analyze the potential mechanism by which regorafenib regulates gene expression.
Project description:The aim of the study was to characterize the transcriptional profiles of two cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (HuCCT1 and Huh28) after a treatment with Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-beta).
Project description:Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with its incidence continuing to rise. Regorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor approved as a palliative treatment, extends survival in patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) who have failed standard therapies. However, the clinical benefit of regorafenib is limited to a subset of patients, is typically short-lived, and is often accompanied by significant toxicity. The mechanisms by which CRC cells develop resistance to regorafenib remain poorly understood.In this study, we investigated resistance mechanisms to regorafenib using a preclinical mouse colon organoid model. Transcriptomic analysis of Apc wild-type and Apc-deficient organoids treated with regorafenib revealed an upregulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), accompanied by alterations in the secretome and increased activation of phosphorylated Erk1/2. Notably, co-treatment with an autophagy inhibitor suppressed regorafenib-induced EMT and its associated secretory phenotype, resulting in reduced cell proliferation and enhanced apoptosis in mouse organoids. The effectiveness of this drug combination was further supported by cell viability assays in human CRC cell lines. In contrast, primary mouse colon fibroblasts displayed greater resistance to both single-agent and combination regorafenib treatments. In summary, our findings using a preclinical organoid model suggest that autophagy inhibition may offer a promising strategy to mitigate chemoresistance and reduce toxicity associated with regorafenib treatment in mCRC patients.
Project description:Developing effective model systems to evaluate new potential chemotherapeutic reagents is critical. Three-dimensional cell cultures, such as spheroids, aid in bridging the gap between commonly used monolayer cell cultures and significantly more complex and expensive animal models. Spheroid model systems contain pathophysiological and chemical gradients similar to an in vivo tumor, which ultimately form distinct cellular subpopulations. In the spatial SILAC model, labels are pulsed into the spheroid at discrete time windows during development. These media pulses result in labeled proteins in distinct regions of the spheroid, which allows for tracing of quantitative proteomic changes to be correlated to different cellular subregions. In this study, we use the Spatial SILAC model to evaluate the proteomic response of a colon carcinoma spheroid to the multikinase inhibitor Regorafenib. We determined regorafenib to be an effective kinase inhibitor which significantly altered whole spheroid proliferation and resulted in increased apoptosis when the signal was averaged for all cells in the culture. However, when regorafenib treatment is more closely examined among the cellular subpopulations, drastic differences are observed for how the drug impacted the proteome of the necrotic spheroid core and the proliferating outer regions. Whole spheroid and outer region analysis shows that regorafenib treatment inhibited critical pathways such as mTOR signaling, ERK/MAPK signaling, and colorectal cancer metastasis signaling. However, analysis of the core shows that regorafenib had an entirely different effect, including upregulation of MAPK1 and KRAS, possibly indicating drug resistance within these late apoptotic cells. Ultimately, these combinatory studies can be used to further understanding of drug metabolism is different cellular subpopulations and provide valuable information to ultimately improve the accuracy of therapeutic testing.
Project description:Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major therapeutic challenge, with limited long-term benefits from treatments such as regorafenib due to their efficacy and adverse effects. Proteoglycan-4 (PRG4) has previously shown promise in enhancing anti-proliferative effects of multi-kinase inhibitors in simple in vitro two-dimensional (2D) HCC models. Objective: We evaluated the adjuvant effect of PRG4 in enhancing regorafenib’s anti-tumor efficacy in preclinical more complex in vitro three-dimensional (3D) HCC tumoroids, and in vivo HCC models. Design: HLC19 and HLF HCC cell lines were engineered to stably overexpress PRG4. Anti-proliferative effects of PRG4, either alone or in combination with regorafenib, were evaluated in 2D monolayers, 3D Matrigel embedded spheroids and orthotopic xenograft mouse models established via HCC cells intrahepatic injection. RNA sequencing was done to assess the transcriptomic profiles of PRG4 overexpressing spheroids. Results: PRG4 expression partially inhibited HCC tumor growth in vivo, but enhanced regorafenib treatment leading to a near-complete tumor regression. PRG4 expression significantly impaired cell growth in both 2D and 3D HCC models in vitro. In an angiogenesis in vitro model, PRG4 hindered endothelial tubulogenesis both alone and in combination with regorafenib. By transcriptomic analysis of matrigel-embedded HCC cell spheroids exposed to PRG4 and/or regorafenib, PDGF pathway emerged as a target of PRG4 + regorafenib, corroborating the role of PRG4 in impairing angiogenesis. G0/G1 phase of cell cycle resulted more delayed in spheroids exposed to PRG4 and regorafenib than those treated with regorafenib only, compared to untreated cells. Conclusions: PRG4 enhances the anti-tumor activity of regorafenib across various HCC models. These findings support PRG4 as a promising adjuvant candidate to improve clinical outcomes in HCC.
Project description:Regorafenib increased M1/M2 ratio of BMDMs polarization and proliferation/activation of co-cultured T cells in vitro, indicating angiogenesis-independent immunomodulatory effects. Suppression of p38 kinase phosphorylation and downstream CREB-KLF4 activity in BMDMs by regorafenib reversed M2 polarization. Regorafenib enhanced antitumor efficacy of adoptively transferred antigen-specific T cells, whereas macrophage deletion negated regorafenib’s antitumor effects. Synergistic antitumor efficacy between low-dose regorafenib and anti-PD1 was associated with multiple immune-related pathways in the tumor microenvironment.
Project description:To evaluate the differential gene expression contributing to the efficacy of the combination treatment of JAK/HDAC inhibitor with regorafenib, compared to single drug treatment, we performed the RNA-sequencing
Project description:Following encouraging results of the REGOMA Phase 2 trial, regorafenib is increasingly used for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype. Identifying predictive factors for response to regorafenib is of paramount importance. DNA methylation profiling is considered the gold standard for diagnosing and classifying central nervous system tumors. We explored the predictive value of methylation profiling in recurrent glioblastoma patients treated with regorafenib, highlighting the potential of DNA methylation profiling in guiding therapeutic strategies and warrant further validation in clinical settings.