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Biomedical subjects

G Batist

Publications and source records attributed to G Batist.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

SarCNU, a nitrosourea analog on a day 1, 5, and 9 oral schedule: a phase I and pharmacokinetic study in patients with advanced solid tumors.

PURPOSE: 2-Chloroethyl-3-sarcosinamide-1-nitrosourea (SarCNU) is a novel chloroethylnitrosourea that demonstrates selective cytotoxicity in athymic mice bearing human glioma. SarCNU demonstrates selective cytotoxicity in vitro against human glioma at least in part because of the selective SarCNU uptake by the extraneuronal monoamine transporter. The purpose of this phase I study was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), the toxicity profile, the pharmacokinetics profile, and recommended phase II dose. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three eligible patients with advanced solid tumors were enrolled. SarCNU was administered orally on days 1,5, and 9 every 28 days. The dose ranged from 30 to 1,075 mg/m2. Pharmacokinetic evaluation was done on the first cycle (one dose was given intravenously on day 1 or 5 of the first cycle to determine bioavailability). RESULTS: Delayed myelosuppression (thrombocytopenia and neutropenia occurring 4 to 6 weeks after administration) was the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Anemia occurred but was mild. Nonhematologic toxicity was generally mild, but one patient died with pulmonary toxicity that was probably secondary to SarCNU. There were no partial or complete responses, but eight patients had stable disease for 19 to 46 weeks. The oral bioavailability of SarCNU was 80% +/- 37%. The terminal phase half-life was similar after intravenous (58.4 +/- 23.5 minutes) or oral (64.0 +/- 34.8 minutes) administration. The total plasma clearance was 20.4 +/- 8.8 L/h/m2, and the apparent volume of distribution was 29.9 +/- 17.6 L/m2. The area under the plasma concentration-time profile increased proportionally with the dose, and the pharmacokinetics seemed to be independent of the route of administration and the number of doses. CONCLUSION: SarCNU was well tolerated and the MTD was 1,075 mg/m2. The recommended starting dose for phase II trials is 860 mg/m2 orally on days 1, 5, and 9 every 6 weeks.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2002

Neovastat (AE-941) in refractory renal cell carcinoma patients: report of a phase II trial with two dose levels.

BACKGROUND: renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a potential target for anti-angiogenic drugs because of its high vascularization. Neovastat (AE-941) is an inhibitor of angiogenesis with a mechanism of action that could prove beneficial in the treatment of RCC. Patients and design A phase II trial was conducted to identify the long-term safety profile of Neovastat in advanced cancer patients and to obtain preliminary information on its efficacy in solid tumors refractory to standard treatments. Neovastat (60 or 240 ml/day) was administered orally (b.i.d.) to 144 patients with solid tumors refractory to standard therapies or for whom no standard treatments were available. RESULTS: A survival analysis was conducted on 22 patients with a primary diagnosis of refractory RCC to determine whether the dose of Neovastat had any effect. A significant relationship between dose and survival was observed; the median survival time was significantly longer (16.3 versus 7.1 months; P = 0.01) in patients treated with Neovastat 240 ml/day (n = 14) compared with patients receiving 60 ml/day (n = 8). No dose-limiting toxicity was reported. The most frequent adverse event was taste alteration (13.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Neovastat is well tolerated by advanced cancer patients at doses of 60 and 240 ml/day. The higher dose of Neovastat administered in this trial is associated with a survival benefit in RCC, which is not explained by differences in major prognostic factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A novel parasite-derived suicide gene for cancer gene therapy with specificity for lung cancer cells.

The enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) expressed by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei (Tb) can convert allopurinol, a purine analogue, to corresponding nucleotides with greater efficiency than its human homologue. We have developed a retroviral system that expresses the parasitic enzyme and tested its capacity to activate the prodrug allopurinol to a cytotoxic metabolite. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that five non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines transduced with the construct were sensitized to the prodrug by 2.1- to 7.6-fold compared with control values. This selectivity was not observed in seven other cell lines also expressing the construct, such as breast carcinoma. Assays indicated that enhanced cytotoxicity to allopurinol correlated with induction of apoptosis in lung cancer cells. The selectivity of this suicide gene was not explained either by the TbHGPRT expression or by the allopurinol accumulation. Our study shows that this novel system may represent a therapeutic tool for gene prodrug targeting of lung cancer, considering the fact that allopurinol is well tolerated in humans.

Allopurinol↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of oral capecitabine versus intravenous fluorouracil plus leucovorin as first-line treatment in 605 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: results of a randomized phase III study.

PURPOSE: To compare the response rate, efficacy parameters, and toxicity profile of oral capecitabine with bolus intravenous (IV) fluorouracil plus leucovorin (5-FU/LV) as first-line treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively randomized 605 patients to treatment with oral capecitabine for 14 days every 3 weeks or 5-FU/LV by rapid IV injection daily for 5 days in 4-week cycles. RESULTS: The overall objective tumor response rate among all randomized patients was significantly higher in the capecitabine group (24.8%) than in the 5-FU/LV group (15.5%; P =.005). In the capecitabine and 5-FU/LV groups, median times to disease progression were 4.3 and 4.7 months (log-rank P =.72), median times to treatment failure were 4.1 and 3.1 months (P =.19), and median overall survival times were 12.5 and 13.3 months (P =.974), respectively. Capecitabine, compared with bolus 5-FU/LV treatment, produced a significantly lower incidence (P <.0002) of diarrhea, stomatitis, nausea, and alopecia. Patients treated with capecitabine also displayed lower incidences of grade 3/4 stomatitis and grade 3/4 neutropenia (P <.0001) leading to significantly less neutropenic fever/sepsis. Grade 3 hand-foot syndrome (P <.00001) and grade 3/4 hyperbilirubinemia were the only toxicities more frequently associated with capecitabine than with 5-FU/LV treatment. CONCLUSION: Oral capecitabine was more active than 5-FU/LV in the induction of objective tumor responses. Time to disease progression and survival were at least equivalent for capecitabine compared with the 5-FU/LV arm. Capecitabine also demonstrated clinically meaningful benefits over bolus 5-FU/LV in terms of tolerability.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2001

Reduced cardiotoxicity and preserved antitumor efficacy of liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide compared with conventional doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in a randomized, multicenter trial of metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine whether Myocet (liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin; The Liposome Company, Elan Corporation, Princeton, NJ) in combination with cyclophosphamide significantly reduces doxorubicin cardiotoxicity while providing comparable antitumor efficacy in first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred ninety-seven patients with MBC and no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease were randomized to receive either 60 mg/m(2) of Myocet (M) or conventional doxorubicin (A), in combination with 600 mg/m(2) of cyclophosphamide (C), every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Cardiotoxicity was defined by reductions in left-ventricular ejection fraction, assessed by serial multigated radionuclide angiography scans, or congestive heart failure (CHF). Antitumor efficacy was assessed by objective tumor response rates (World Health Organization criteria), time to progression, and survival. RESULTS: Six percent of MC patients versus 21% (including five cases of CHF) of AC patients developed cardiotoxicity (P =.0002). Median cumulative doxorubicin dose at onset was more than 2,220 mg/m(2) for MC versus 480 mg/m(2) for AC (P =.0001, hazard ratio, 5.04). MC patients also experienced less grade 4 neutropenia. Antitumor efficacy of MC versus AC was comparable: objective response rates, 43% versus 43%; median time to progression, 5.1% versus 5.5 months; median time to treatment failure, 4.6 versus 4.4 months; and median survival, 19 versus 16 months. CONCLUSION: Myocet improves the therapeutic index of doxorubicin by significantly reducing cardiotoxicity and grade 4 neutropenia and provides comparable antitumor efficacy, when used in combination with cyclophosphamide as first-line therapy for MBC.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Genetic alteration of chromosome 8 is a common feature of human mammary epithelial cell lines transformed in vitro with benzo[a]pyrene.

While some epidemiological risk factors for breast cancer have been identified, the environmental factors responsible for transformation of mammary epithelial cells are not clear. We have exposed the spontaneously immortalized human mammary epithelial cell line MCF-10A to benzo[a]pyrene and selected transformed clones based on a loss of contact inhibition and anchorage-dependent growth. Cytogenetic studies showed that each of the transformed sublines possess an isochromosome 8q aberration. The c-Myc proto-oncogene, which is positioned at 8q24, was analyzed for changes in expression. Both c-Myc mRNA and protein levels were increased in the transformed clones relative to the parental cells. The transformed clones were not able to grow as tumors in vivo when injected into nude or SCID mice. To determine whether the involvement of chromosome 8 in BP-induced mutagenesis was a reproducible event, transformed clones were selected from three additional independently treated sets of BP-exposed MCF-10A cultures and analyzed by spectral karyotyping (SKY). These transformed sublines also harbored the isochromosome 8q abnormality. Data from this model show that benzo[a]pyrene, a ubiquitous procarcinogen, can induce selectable morphologic changes in a human mammary epithelial cell line, and that these transformed cells possess chromosomal aberrations frequently found in human breast tumors.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Upregulation of gap junctional intercellular communication and connexin 43 expression by cyclic-AMP and all-trans-retinoic acid is associated with glutathione depletion and chemosensitivity in neuroblastoma cells.

PURPOSE: Downregulation of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) has been implicated in carcinogenesis. This is a result of altered expression of connexins, the proteins that mediate GJIC, including connexin 43 (Cx43). Our aim was to evaluate the effect of known inducers of Cx43 on the chemosensitivity of the human neuroblastoma cell line IMR-32 to chemotherapeutic agents. METHODS: We examined the effect of dibutyryl-cyclic AMP (db-cAMP) and all-trans-retinoic acid (tRA) on Cx43 and GJIC, glutathione (GSH) and gamma-glutamyl-cysteine-synthetase (gamma-GCS) levels, and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. Finally, we performed cell survival assays to measure the response of IMR-32 cells to the chemotherapeutic drugs doxorubicin, melphalan and bis-chloronitrosourea (BCNU), after treatment with db-cAMP and/or tRA. RESULTS: Exposure to db-cAMP led to the upregulation of GJIC and Cx43 expression and phosphorylation. On the other hand, exposure to tRA led to the upregulation of GJIC but Cx43 expression and phosphorylation were not greatly affected. The combination of both agents was more potent in inducing GJIC in comparison to treatment with db-cAMP or tRA alone. Treatment with db-cAMP, but not with tRA, was associated with a significant increase in the cytotoxic effects of the anticancer drugs doxorubicin, melphalan and BCNU as shown by a decrease in their IC50 values. Concomitant exposure to db-cAMP and tRA, however, had a more pronounced effect on cell sensitization to chemotherapy drugs (particularly doxorubicin) than exposure to db-cAMP or tRA alone. Under the db-cAMP and tRA treatment conditions (which upregulate GJIC and modulate drug response), GSH levels were significantly reduced while the levels of GST and gamma-GCS activities remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that GJIC plays a role in cellular drug resistance, and highlights the potential use of GJIC modulators in combination with chemotherapy. Also, this is the first study exploring the ability of both db-cAMP and tRA to enhance cell chemosensitivity.

Bucladesine↗
PubMed2001

New taxane analogues from the needles of Taxus canadensis.

Eight minor taxanes have been identified for the first time in Taxus canadensis needles. Four of these metabolites are new taxane analogues: 7-acetyl-10-deacetyltaxol (1), 2'-acetyl-7-epi-cephalomannine (2), 10-deacetyl-10-oxo-7-epi-cephalomannine (3), and 10-acetylglycollylbaccatin VI (4).

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

The role of connexin-mediated cell-cell communication in breast cancer metastasis.

Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is a form of cell-cell communication mediating the exchange of small molecules between neighboring cells. Gap junctions (GJs) are formed by connexins (Cxs), and are subject to tight and dynamic regulation. They are involved in the cell cycle, differentiation, and cell signaling. The loss of Cxs and GJs is a hallmark of carcinogenesis, while their induction in cancer cells leads to a reversal of the cancer phenotype, induction of differentiation, and regulation of cell growth. On the basis of the observations about Cx loss in breast cancer, this review examines Cxs' involvement in breast cancer metastasis. Previous work indicates that Cx expression is inversely correlated to metastatic potential. This is probably because of the loss of cooperation between neighboring cells, leading to cell heterogeneity and cell dissociation in the tumor. The possible involvement of Cx activity during metastasis will be discussed.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2001

AE-941 (Neovastat): a novel multifunctional antiangiogenic compound.

AE-941 (Neovastat) is a naturally occurring product extracted from cartilage and has antiangiogenic properties. It has reached Phase III clinical trial evaluation for the treatment of solid tumors (non-small cell lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma) and a pivotal Phase II clinical trial in multiple myeloma is ongoing. AE-941 inhibits several steps of the angiogenesis process, including matrix metalloproteinase activities and VEGF signaling pathways. Moreover, AE-941 induces endothelial cell apoptosis and tissue-type plasminogen activator activity, thus suggesting that it is a multifunctional antiangiogenic drug. Results from Phase I/II clinical trials indicate that AE-941, given orally, is well tolerated. Moreover, the median survival time in patients with renal cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer was significantly longer in patients receiving high doses of AE-941 compared to low doses.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗
PubMed2001

Regulation of the gap junction connexin 43 gene by androgens in the prostate.

Androgens play an important role in prostate gland development and function, and have been implicated in prostate carcinogenesis. We report the regulation of the gap junctional intercellular communication gene connexin 43 (Cx43) by androgens in the prostate gland. In rat ventral prostate tissue, only trace levels of Cx43 mRNA were detected. Castration, however, resulted in a high increase in Cx43 mRNA and protein. Cx32 was unchanged. Castration-induced Cx43 mRNA and protein were abolished by administration of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Following castration, prostate weights were approximately 16% of sham-treated controls. However, DHT replacement resulted in prostate weights which were not different from sham-treated controls. Under similar castration conditions, Cx43 induction coincided with pronounced apoptosis in the prostate gland cells, and DHT prevented the induction of apoptosis. Given the physiological role of gap junctions and androgens in the regulation of prostate tissue homeostasis, our observations are relevant to the understanding of androgen-dependent prostate carcinogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Anthracyclines.

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Animals↗
PubMed2000

Modulation of glutathione S-transferase alpha by hepatitis B virus and the chemopreventive drug oltipraz.

Persistent infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and exposure to chemical carcinogens correlates with the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma in endemic areas. The precise nature of the interaction between these factors is not known. Glutathione S-transferases (GST) are responsible for the cellular metabolism and detoxification of a variety of cytotoxic and carcinogenic compounds by catalysis of their conjugation with glutathione. Diminished GST activity could enhance cellular sensitivity to chemical carcinogens. We have investigated GST isozyme expression in hepatocellular HepG2 cells and in an HBV-transfected subline. Total GST activity and selenium-independent glutathione peroxidase activity are significantly decreased in HBV transfected cells. On immunoblotting, HBV transfected cells demonstrate a significant decrease in the level of GST Alpha class. Cytotoxicity assays reveal that the HBV transfected cells are more sensitive to a wide range of compounds known to be detoxified by GST Alpha conjugation. Although no significant difference in protein half-life between the two cell lines was found, semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction shows a reduced amount of GST Alpha mRNA in the transfected cells. Because the HBV x protein (HBx) seems to play a role in HBV transfection, we also demonstrated that expression of the HBx gene into HepG2 cells decreased the amount of GST Alpha protein. Transient transfection experiments using both rat and human GST Alpha (rGSTA5 and hGSTA1) promoters in HepG2 cells show a decreased CAT activity upon HBx expression, supporting a transcriptional regulation of both genes by HBx. This effect is independent of HBx interaction with Sp1. Treatment with oltipraz, an inducer of GST Alpha, partially overcomes the effect of HBx on both promoters. Promoter deletion studies indicate that oltipraz works through responsive elements distinct from AP1 or NF-kappaB transcription factors. Thus, HBV infection alters phase II metabolizing enzymes via different mechanisms than those modulated by treatment with oltipraz.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2000

Heregulin selectively upregulates vascular endothelial growth factor secretion in cancer cells and stimulates angiogenesis.

The interaction between the erbB tyrosine kinase receptors and their ligands plays an important role in tumor growth via the regulation of autocrine and paracrine loops. We report the effect of heregulin beta1, the ligand for erbB-3 and erbB-4 receptors, on the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, using a panel of breast and lung cancer cell lines with constitutive erbB-2 overexpression or engineered to stably overexpress the erbB-2 receptor. We demonstrate that heregulin beta1 induces VEGF secretion in most cancer cell lines, while no significant effect was observed in normal human mammary and bronchial primary cells. Overexpression of erbB-2 receptor results in induction of the basal level of VEGF and exposure to heregulin further enhances VEGF secretion. This is associated with increased VEGF mRNA expression. In contrast, VEGF induction is significantly decreased in a T47D cell line where erbB-2 is functionally inactivated. Conditioned media from heregulin-treated cancer cells, but not from normal cells, stimulates endothelial cell proliferation; this paracrine stimulation is inhibited by co-exposure to a specific VEGF neutralizing antibody. Furthermore, heregulin-mediated angiogenesis is observed in the in vivo CAM assay. This study reports the first evidence of VEGF regulation by heregulin in cancer cells. Oncogene (2000) 19, 3460 - 3469

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Retroviral expression of the hepatitis B virus x gene promotes liver cell susceptibility to carcinogen-induced site specific mutagenesis.

Mutational inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene p53 is common in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). AGG to AGT transversion in codon 249 of exon 7 of the p53 gene occurs in over 50% of HCC from endemic regions, where both chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and exposure to carcinogens such as aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) prevail. In this study, we report the effect of the HBV x protein (HBx) on carcinogen-induced cytotoxicity and AGG to AGT mutation in codon 249 of the p53 gene in the human liver cell line CCL13. Expression of HBx, as revealed by its transactivation function, results in enhanced cell susceptibility to cytotoxicity induced by the AFB1 active metabolite, AFB1-8,9-epoxide, and benzo(a)pyrene diol-epoxide. Under similar conditions, expression of HBx promotes apoptosis in a subset of cell population. Exposure to AFB1-8, 9-epoxide alone induces a low frequency of AGG to AGT mutation in codon 249 of the p53 gene, as determined by an allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) assay. However, expression of HBx enhances the frequency of AFB1-epoxide-induced AGG to AGT mutation compared to control cells. In summary, this study demonstrates that expression of HBx enhances liver cell susceptibility to carcinogen-induced mutagenesis, possibly through alteration of the balance between DNA repair and apoptosis, two cellular defense mechanisms against genotoxic stress.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗
PubMed2000

New insights into the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of (R,S)-ifosfamide in cancer patients using a population pharmacokinetic-metabolism model.

PURPOSE: To describe the pharmacokinetics of R- and S-Ifosfamide (IFF), and their respective 2 and 3 N-dechloroethylated (DCE) metabolites (R2-, R3-, S2, S3-DCE-IFF) in cancer patients. METHODS: (R,S)-IFF was administered (1.5 g/m2) daily for 5 days in 13 cancer patients. Plasma and urine samples were collected and analyzed using an enantioselective GC-MS method. An average of 97 observations per patient were simultaneously fitted using a pharmacokinetic-metabolism (PK-MB) model. A population PK analysis was performed using an iterative 2-stage method (IT2S). RESULTS: Auto-induction of IFF metabolism was observed over the 5 day period. Increases were seen in IFF clearance (R: 4 vs. 7 L/h; S: 5 vs. 10 L/h), and in the formation of DCE (R: 7 vs. 9%; S: 14 vs. 19%) and active metabolites (4-OHM-IFF; R: 71 vs. 77%; S: 67 vs. 71%). A novel finding of this analysis was that the renal excretion of the DCE metabolites was also induced. CONCLUSIONS: This population PK-MB model for (R,S)-IFF may be useful in the optimization of patient care, and gives new insight into the metabolism of (R,S)-IFF.

Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating↗
PubMed2000

A model for the interaction of paclitaxel with the Bcl-2 loop domain: a chemical approach to induce conformation-dependent phosphorylation.

A homology model for human Bcl-2 was built. Paclitaxel and baccatin III were individually docked into the Bcl-2 loop domain. The conformational space of the loop region on ligand binding was explored by molecular dynamics. The ligand-Bcl-2 interaction energy was calculated by minimization in the binding site. It was found that both paclitaxel's core skeleton and its C-13 side chain contribute significantly to its interaction with Bcl-2. A portion of the Bcl-2 loop domain was found to be locked by the bound paclitaxel and baccatin III in a similar conformation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗