Cytotoxicity Assessment of Quassinoids Neosergeolide and Isobrucein B toward Hematopoietic and Solid Malignancies Identifies STAT3 Activation To Be Predictive of Antitumor Response.

Abstract Quassinoids are natural product compounds known to possess tumor cytotoxicity and antimalarial activity. Neosergiolide and isobrucein B are two quassinoids previously isolated from roots and stems of Picrolemma sprucei. In screening studies to identify inhibitors that target STAT3, we discovered neosergeolide and isobrucein B as active compounds. Approximately 5000 plant-derived extracts were screened using a cell line that stably expresses a STAT3-dependent luciferase reporter and NPM-ALK, which constitutively induces STAT3 transcriptional activity. Of 25 total hits, a P. sprucei extract was potent and selective for STAT3 inhibition, and bioassay-guided isolation identified neosergeolide and isobrucein B as the inhibitory compounds. Western blot analysis confirmed that neosergeolide and isobrucein B not only inhibit the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of STAT3 but also decrease total STAT3 protein levels via a mechanism due in part to enhanced proteasome-mediated degradation. Small-molecule proteasome inhibitors such as MG132 and ALLN reversed the ability of the two quassinoids to decrease STAT3 protein levels; furthermore, simultaneous incubation of various hematopoietic malignancy cell lines with either neosergeolide or isobrucein B and MG132 or ALLN antagonized the cytotoxic activity of the quassinoids. Assessment of neosergiolide and isobrucein B antitumor effects using an XTT assay revealed both compounds to possess potent cytotoxic activity across a broad spectrum of hematopoietic malignancies, with T-leukemias/lymphomas being especially responsive. For example, mycosis fungoides (MF)- and Sezary syndrome (SS)-derived cell lines, as well as non-MF/SS cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) lines, were potently inhibited by both quassinoids (neosergiolide IC50 values: MAC-1, 11.6 nM; MAC-2A, 6.9 nM; Hut-78, 6.6 nM; HH, 4.3 nM; MJ, 7.0 nM; isobrucein B IC50 values: MAC-1, 31.9 nM; MAC-2A, 72.3 nM; Hut-78, 23.5 nM; HH; 20.3 nM; MJ, 13.5 nM). Non-hematopoietic cell lines representing various solid tumors also exhibited potent cytotoxic responses to the quassinoids (e.g., gastric carcinoma line AGS [neosergiolide IC50: 16.9 nM; isobrucein B IC50: 114.9 nM]). With rare exceptions, the cytotoxicity of the quassinoids against a specific tumor cell line correlated with STAT3 activation status; for example, breast cancer line MCF7 with inactive STAT3 was resistant to both quassinoids even at the maximum concentration tested (6.25 μM), whereas breast cancer lines MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-435s with activated STAT3 were inhibited by both compounds at low concentrations (neosergiolide IC50: MDA-MB-435s, 31.3 nM; MDA-MB-468, 29.9 nM; isobrucein B IC50: MDA-MB-435s, 209.3 nM; MDA-MB-468, 356.8 nM). The in vitro antitumor activity of the two quassinoids could also be demonstrated in vivo. For example, isobrucein B (1.0 mg/kg IP once q 3d x 5 doses) could be safely administered and potently inhibited the growth in SCID mice of the CD30+ primary CTCL MAC-1 cell line; mice at treatment day 16 showed average subcutaneous tumor volumes of 3839 ± 863 (s.e.) mm3 in the vehicle-control group and 913 ± 349 (s.e.) mm3 in the isobrucein B group (P=0.008, t-test). These results provide strong support for STAT3 targeting in antitumor drug discovery and suggest that quassinoids may have utility in such an approach.