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PPARgamma-mediated antineoplastic effect of NSAID sulindac on human oral squamous carcinoma cells.

There is strong evidence that nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) sulindac may exert a significant antineoplastic effect. The purpose of our study was to explore the effects of sulindac on human oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) cells and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. The changes that sulindac treatment induced on growth, apoptosis and cell cycle distribution of human oral SCCa cell lines were assessed by cell growth and flow cytometry experiments. Utilizing quantitative RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry, we determined the effect of sulindac treatment on mRNA and protein expression of different sulindac's targets. Also, PPARgamma expression was selectively targeted by antisense oligonucleotide treatment. Both sulfide and sulfone metabolites of sulindac, which differ in the ability to cause COX-2 inhibition, induced a significant dose- and time-dependent cell growth reduction accompanied by increase in apoptosis without concomitant cell cycle arrest. Sulindac treatment also caused upregulation of the protein and mRNA expression levels of COX-2 and PPARs. Treatment with antisense PPARgamma oligonucleotides abolished sulindac's growth inhibitory effect. Our results are consistent with a significant growth inhibitory effect of NSAID sulindac on human oral SCCa cells, which is mediated, at least partially, through induction of apoptosis. We suggest that upregulation of PPARgamma expression and activation may be, at least partially, responsible for sulindac's antiproliferative effect.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

Sulindac is excreted into bile by a canalicular bile salt pump and undergoes a cholehepatic circulation in rats.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dihydroxy bile acids induce a bicarbonate-rich hypercholeresis when secreted into canalicular bile in unconjugated form; the mechanism is cholehepatic shunting. The aim of this study was to identify a xenobiotic that induces hypercholeresis by a similar mechanism. METHODS: Five organic acids (sulindac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, diclofenac, and norfloxacin) were infused into rats with biliary fistulas. Biliary recovery, bile flow, and biliary bicarbonate were analyzed. Sulindac transport was further characterized using Tr(-) rats (deficient in mrp2, a canalicular transporter for organic anions), the isolated perfused rat liver, and hepatocyte membrane fractions. RESULTS: In biliary fistula rats, sulindac was recovered in bile in unconjugated form and induced hypercholeresis of canalicular origin. Other compounds underwent glucuronidation and were not hypercholeretic. In the isolated liver, sulindac had delayed biliary recovery and induced prolonged choleresis, consistent with a cholehepatic circulation. Sulindac was secreted normally in Tr(-) rats, indicating that its canalicular transport did not require mrp2. In the perfused liver, sulindac inhibited cholyltaurine uptake, and when coinfused with cholyltaurine, induced acute cholestasis. With both basolateral and canalicular membrane fractions, sulindac inhibited cholyltaurine transport competitively. CONCLUSIONS: Sulindac is secreted into bile in unconjugated form by a canalicular bile acid transporter and is absorbed by cholangiocytes, inducing hypercholeresis. At high flux rates, sulindac competitively inhibits canalicular bile salt transport; such inhibition may contribute to the propensity of sulindac to induce cholestasis in patients.

Animals↗

Cyclooxygenase-independent induction of apoptosis by sulindac sulfone is mediated by polyamines in colon cancer.

Sulindac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory prodrug, is metabolized into pharmacologically active sulfide and sulfone derivatives. Sulindac sulfide, but not sulindac sulfone, inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme activities, yet both derivatives have growth inhibitory effects on colon cancer cells. Microarray analysis was used to detect COX-independent effects of sulindac on gene expression in human colorectal cells. Spermidine/sperm-ine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) gene, which encodes a polyamine catabolic enzyme, was induced by clinically relevant sulindac sulfone concentrations. Northern blots confirmed increased SSAT RNA levels in these colon cancer cells. Deletion analysis and mutational studies were done to map the sulindac sulfone-dependent response sequences in the SSAT 5'-flanking sequences. This led us to the identification of two peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) response elements (PPREs) in the SSAT gene. PPRE-2, at +48 bases relative to the transcription start site, is required for the induction of SSAT by sulindac sulfone and is specifically bound by PPAR gamma in the Caco-2 cells as shown by transfection and gel shift experiments. PPRE-1, at-323 bases relative to the start site, is not required for the induction of SSAT by sulindac sulfone but can be bound by both PPAR delta and PPAR gamma. Sulindac sulfone reduced cellular polyamine contents in the absence but not in the presence of verapamil, an inhibitor of the export of monoacetyl diamines, inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. The induced apoptosis could be partially rescued by exogenous putrescine. These data suggest that apoptosis induced by sulindac sulfone is mediated, in part, by the COX-independent, PPAR-dependent transcriptional activation of SSAT, leading to reduced tissue polyamine contents in human colon cancer cells.

Acetyltransferases↗

The sulfide metabolite of sulindac prevents tumors and restores enterocyte apoptosis in a murine model of familial adenomatous polyposis.

Sulindac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is effective in treating intestinal adenomas in humans with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and in preventing intestinal tumors in the C57Bl/6J-Min+ (Min) mouse, an animal model of FAP. Sulindac is a prodrug metabolized by the liver and intestinal flora to a sulfone, which has no anti-inflammatory activity, and a sulfide, which is the active anti-inflammatory metabolite. In this study, we determined which of these metabolites is responsible for the anti-tumor effect of sulindac in Min mice. Min mice were treated with either sulindac sulfone or sulindac sulfide (0.5 +/- 0.1 mg/day). Min mice and homozygous C57Bl/6J-(+/+) normal litter-mates lacking the Apc mutation (+/+) were used as controls. At 110 days of age, all mice were euthanized and their intestinal tracts examined. Control Min mice had 33.2 +/- 6.6 tumors per mouse compared to 0.6 +/- 0.3 tumors for sulindac sulfide-treated Min mice (P < 0.001) and 21.9 +/- 4.5 tumors per mouse for sulindac sulfone-treated Min mice (P > 0.05). Decreased enterocyte apoptosis was observed in Min control mice and Min mice treated with sulindac sulfone. Sulindac sulfide restored to normal the level of apoptosis in the mucosa of Min animals and decreased levels of PGE2 in the small intestine of treated Min animals by 59% (P < 0.001). These data suggest that the anti-tumor effect of sulindac in Apc-deficient animals is mediated by the sulfide metabolite and correlates with suppression of tissue prostaglandin synthesis.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗

Regional response leading to tumorigenesis after sulindac in small and large intestine of mice with Apc mutations.

Sulindac and other NSAIDs have been widely studied as potential chemopreventive agents for colon cancer. Short-term studies have shown adenomatous polyps to regress in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). In this study the effect of sulindac on cancer as an endpoint was evaluated in ApcMin mice, a preclinical model of FAP with an Apc mutation in codon 850 that leads to gastrointestinal adenomas and carcinomas. Three groups of mice were studied all of which were fed AIN-76A diet: one group was fed AIN-76A diet alone, a second group received sulindac 200 p.p.m. premixed in the diet and a third group received sulindac 180 p.p.m. added in drinking water. ApcMin mice were killed 9 weeks after feeding was initiated. Mice receiving sulindac developed fewer tumors in the intestine overall; the major decrease in tumor development after sulindac was seen in the small intestine regardless of route of administration. In the large intestine, however, sulindac significantly increased the incidence, multiplicity and volume of tumors in the colon of ApcMin mice, a regional response to sulindac differing from previous reports. Quantitative measurements of apoptosis, Bax and Bcl-xL protein expression in the ApcMin mice revealed the ratio of Bax/Bcl-xL expression and apoptosis increased in the small intestine but decreased in the cecum, consistent with the regional tumorigenesis observed after sulindac. These findings thus suggest involvement of Bax and apoptosis in tumors developing after sulindac treatment in this mouse model.

Animals↗

Sulindac regulates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated expression of Phase 1 metabolic enzymes in vivo and in vitro.

Sulindac, a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), has been shown to inhibit chemically induced carcinogenesis in animal models. In the present study, we have investigated the molecular mechanism by which sulindac affects the activity and expression of the enzymes that mediate the initial detoxification steps of many environmental carcinogens, the cytochromes P450 1A1, 1A2 and 1B1. Sulindac treatment of Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in a dose-dependent increase in hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme activity and in the expression of hepatic CYPs 1A1 and 1B1 mRNA. In the HepG2 human liver cancer cell line, sulindac caused a sustained, dose-dependent increase in CYP enzyme activity. Sulindac treatment resulted in a profound, dose-dependent increase in CYP 1A1 mRNA and a modest increase in 1A2 mRNA. The increase in CYP 1A1 mRNA induced by sulindac was, like enzyme activity, sustained for several days after the initial treatment. Sulindac induced the transcription of the CYP1A1 gene, as measured by the level of heterogeneous nuclear 1A1 RNA and by actinomycin D chase experiment. Since the transcription of CYP1A1 is under the control of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), we examined the ability of sulindac to activate the receptor. Sulindac bound to the AhR, as measured by ligand-binding assay, and induced the binding of the AhR with the xenobiotic-responsive element present in the promoter region of the CYP1A1 gene. These results are the first demonstration that NSAIDs modulate carcinogen metabolic enzymes and provide a novel mechanism to explain the established chemopreventive activity of sulindac.

Animals↗

Sulindac metabolites induce caspase- and proteasome-dependent degradation of beta-catenin protein in human colon cancer cells.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the USA. Accumulation of beta-catenin protein is nearly ubiquitous in colon adenomas and cancers, presumably due to mutations in the APC or beta-catenin genes that inhibit proteasome-dependent degradation of beta-catenin protein. Substantial clinical, epidemiological, and animal evidence indicate that sulindac and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) prevent the development of CRC. The mechanisms by which sulindac exerts its potent growth inhibitory effects against colon tumor cells are incompletely understood, but down-regulation of beta-catenin has been suggested as one potential mechanism. The goal of this study was to determine the mechanism of beta-catenin protein down-regulation by sulindac metabolites. Treatment of human colon cancer cell lines with apoptotic concentrations of sulindac metabolites (sulindac sulfide, sulindac sulfone) induced a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of beta-catenin protein expression. Inhibition of proteasome activity with MG-132 partially blocked the ability of sulindac sulfide and sulindac sulfone to inhibit beta-catenin protein expression. Pretreatment with the caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk blocked morphological signs of apoptosis as well as caspase cleavage, and also partially prevented beta-catenin degradation by sulindac metabolites. These effects occurred in cells with bi-allelic APC mutation (SW480), with wild-type APC but mono-allelic beta-catenin mutation (HCT116) and in cells that lack expression of either COX-1 or -2 (HCT15). These results indicate that loss of beta-catenin protein induced by sulindac metabolites is COX independent and at least partially due to reactivation of beta-catenin proteasome degradation and partially a result of caspase activation during the process of apoptosis.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗

Chemoprevention of colon carcinogenesis by sulindac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent.

Epidemiological and laboratory animal model studies have suggested that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the risk of development of colon cancer. The present study was designed to investigate the chemopreventive action of 160 and 320 ppm (equivalent to 40 and 80% maximum tolerated doses) sulindac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, fed during initiation and postinitiation stages and 320 ppm sulindac fed during promotion/progression stages of azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis in male F344 rats. Also investigated was the modulating effect of this agent on the colonic mucosal and tumor phospholipase A2, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, lipoxygenase, and cyclooxygenase activities. At 5 weeks of age, groups of male F344 rats were fed control diet or diets containing 160 and 320 ppm of sulindac. At 7 weeks of age, all animals except those in the vehicle-treated groups were given two weekly s.c. injections of azoxymethane at a dose rate of 15 mg/kg body weight/week. Animals intended for tumor promotion/progression study were administered 320 ppm of sulindac in diet starting at 14 weeks after a second azoxymethane treatment. All animals continued on their respective dietary regimen until the termination of the experiment at 52 weeks after the carcinogen treatment. Colonic tumors were evaluated histopathologically. Colonic mucosa and tumors were analyzed for phospholipase A2, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, prostaglandin E2, cyclooxygenase, and lipoxygenase activities. The levels of sulindac and its metabolites in stomach, cecal, and fecal contents and in serum were analyzed. The results indicate that dietary sulindac at 160 and 320 ppm levels inhibited the incidence of invasive and noninvasive adenocarcinomas of the colon (P < 0.01-0.001) as well as their multiplicity (P < 0.01-0.0001) in a dose-dependent manner. Also, feeding sulindac during promotion/progression stages significantly suppressed the incidence (P < 0.0001) and multiplicity (P < 0.0001) of colonic adenocarcinomas. Dietary sulindac also suppressed the colon tumor volume by > 52-62% compared to the control diet. Dietary sulindac significantly decreased the activities of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (32-51%) and levels of prostaglandin E2 (> 40%) in the colonic mucosa and tumors, but it had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on phospholipase A2 activity. The formation of cyclooxygenase metabolites, particularly prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin F2 alpha, prostaglandin D2, 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha, and thromboxane B2, and lipoxygenase metabolites such as 8(S)- and 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids were significantly reduced in colonic mucosa and tumors of animals fed 320 ppm sulindac.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adenocarcinoma↗

Combination of tumor necrosis factor-alpha with sulindac augments its apoptotic potential and suppresses tumor growth of human carcinoma cells in nude mice.

BACKGROUND: Resistance to apoptosis may be responsible for a principal mechanism by which cancer cells overcome anticancer therapies. Among antiapoptotic signals, the transcription factor, NF-kappaB, plays a pivotal role in the resistance because it is frequently activated in many primary carcinoma cells. However, NF-kappaB is also activated by several anticancer therapies, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). The NF-kappaB-mediated survival signals are supposed to evade these therapies. Recently, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, sulindac, and its metabolites have been shown to inhibit the NF-kappaB pathway and to enhance TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis in lung carcinoma cell lines. In the current study, the authors investigated whether sulindac can augment TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis in other human carcinoma cells and whether it can be applied for in vivo clinical usage. METHODS: Human gastric MKN45 and cervical HeLa carcinoma cells were treated with sulindac and/or TNF-alpha. Proapoptotic effects of these agents were evaluated by trypan blue exclusion assay, DNA fragmentation, and caspase-3 activity. The effect of sulindac on NF-kappaB activation was evaluated by luciferase reporter and gel-shift assays. The suppressive effects of these reagents on the subcutaneous tumor growth of MKN45 cells were evaluated by measuring tumor size in nude mice. RESULTS: Sulindac inhibited TNF-alpha-mediated NF-kappaB activation and greatly sensitized MKN45 and HeLa cell lines to TNF-alpha. Moreover, in vivo tumor growth of MKN45 cells was inhibited most strongly by a combination of TNF-alpha with sulindac compared with TNF-alpha or sulindac alone. CONCLUSIONS: The current study data strongly suggest that combination therapy of TNF-alpha with sulindac may sensitize tumor cells to TNF-alpha and augment its proapoptotic potential. Therefore, in combination with sulindac, TNF-alpha may become a potentially useful anticancer agent to suppress tumor growth in a wide range of carcinomas.

Animals↗

Photoprotective effects of sulindac against ultraviolet B-induced phototoxicity in the skin of SKH-1 hairless mice.

Sulindac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with demonstrated potency as a chemopreventive agent in animal models of carcinogenesis and in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. Because tumor promotion is generally associated with exposure to pro-inflammatory stimuli, it is likely that anti-inflammatory agents may have potent antitumor effects. In human skin, sulindac reduces bradykinin-induced edema. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the cyclooxygenase inhibitor sulindac can protect against ultraviolet (UVB)-induced injury that is crucial for the induction of cancer. Exposure of SKH-1 hairless mice to two consecutive doses of UVB (230 mJ/cm2) induces various inflammatory responses including erythema, edema, epidermal hyperplasia, infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, etc. Topical application of sulindac (1.25-5.0 mg/0.2 ml acetone) to the dorsal skin of SKH-1 hairless mice either 1 h before or immediately after UVB exposure substantially inhibited these inflammatory responses in a dose-dependent manner. Oral administration of sulindac in drinking water (160 ppm) for 15 days before and during UVB irradiation similarly reduced these inflammatory responses. These potent anti-inflammatory effects of sulindac suggested the possibility that the drug could inhibit signaling processes that relate to carcinogenic insult by UVB. Accordingly, studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of sulindac in attenuating the expression of UVB-induced early surrogate molecular markers of photodamage and carcinogenesis. UVB exposure enhanced the expression of p53, c-fos, cyclins D1 and A, and PCNA 24 h after irradiation. Treatment of animals with either topical or oral administration of sulindac largely abrogated the expression of these UVB-induced surrogate markers. These results indicate that the cyclooxygenase inhibitor sulindac is effective in reducing UVB-induced events relevant to carcinogenesis and that this category of topically applied or orally administered drugs may prove to be effective chemopreventive agents for reducing the risk of photocarcinogenesis in human populations.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

A K-ras oncogene increases resistance to sulindac-induced apoptosis in rat enterocytes.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Mutations of c-K-ras occur commonly in colonic neoplasms. The aim of this study was to determine how c-K-ras mutations alter the responses to the chemopreventive agent sulindac. METHODS: The parental rat intestinal cell line IEC-18 and c-K-ras-transformed derivatives were treated with sulindac sulfide. Cell cycle distribution was determined by flow-cytometric analysis (fluorescence-activated cell sorter), apoptosis by DNA fragmentation (laddering), flow cytometry, and microscopy, and changes in gene expression by immunoblotting. RESULTS: Sulindac sulfide inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner more rapidly in and at lower concentrations in parental cells than ras-transformed cells. Expression of the sulindac sulfide arrested cells in G0/G1, but cells entered apoptosis throughout the cell cycle. Proapoptotic protein Bak was relatively high in untreated parental cells and increased markedly after sulindac sulfide but was low in untreated ras-transformed cells and did not increase after sulindac sulfide. Expression of other Bcl-2 family members was unchanged after sulindac sulfide. However, sulindac sulfide reduced levels of cyclin D1 protein and cyclin E- and cyclin D1-associated kinase activity. CONCLUSIONS: c-K-ras-transformed enterocytes are relatively resistant to sulindac sulfide-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis, which may result from specific reduction of bak expression.

Animals↗

Effects of sulindac and indomethacin on renal prostaglandin synthesis.

We compared the effects of sulindac and indomethacin, the effects of two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, on renal prostaglandin synthesis and renal function. Sulindac, 200 mg twice daily, indomethacin, 25 mg four times a day, or placebo were taken by 15 normal female subjects (five in each of three treatment groups). Indomethacin decreased renal excretion of prostaglandins PGE2, PGF2 alpha, and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, but sulindac and placebo had no effect on renal prostaglandin excretion. Concomitant with the reduction of renal prostaglandin synthesis in the indomethacin group, sodium and chloride excretion decreased; sulindac and placebo had no discernible effects on urine electrolytes. Extrarenal cyclooxygenase activity, as assessed by platelet thromboxane beta 2 release, was inhibited by both sulindac and indomethacin. Plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone levels fell in all groups as a result of positive sodium balance, but the decrements of aldosterone were greater after indomethacin and sulindac. None of the treatments altered glomerular filtration rate or renal plasma flow in these normal women. We conclude that in normal women renal prostaglandin synthesis and prostaglandin-dependent tubular functions such as Na and Cl reabsorption are relatively unaffected by doses of sulindac (200 mg twice daily) that inhibit nonrenal cyclooxygenase. This may reflect the capacity of oxidative enzymes in the kidney to convert the active sulfide metabolite of sulindac to the inactive prodrug sulindac sulfoxide.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory effect of sulindac sulfoxide and sulfide on gastric mucosa.

Gastric injury resulting from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is thought to require direct contact of the drug with the gastric mucosa. An inactive form of a drug (as a prodrug) should protect against mucosal damage. Because sulindac sulfoxide has little effect on prostaglandin synthesis until it is reduced to sulindac sulfide after absorption, we performed a double-blind, crossover endoscopic study in 15 normal subjects to compare the prodrug sulindac sulfoxide (200 mg b.i.d.), the active sulfide metabolite sulindac sulfide (100 mg b.i.d., which yields similar sulfide blood concentrations), a positive control (aspirin, 650 mg q.i.d.), and a negative control (placebo). Each drug was taken for 1 week and gastric mucosa were endoscopically assessed before and after 2, 5, and 7 days of dosing. Aspirin predictably damaged the gastric mucosa, whereas the effects of sulindac sulfoxide and sulindac sulfide could not be distinguished from those of the placebo. We conclude that sulindac sulfoxide as a prodrug is not directly responsible for the reduced severity of gastric mucosal lesions. Both sulindac sulfoxide and sulindac sulfide are poorly soluble in acid gastric contents and the reduced damage may relate to the inability of high concentrations of the drug to enter gastric mucosal cells.

Administration, Oral↗

Sulindac sulfide inhibits Ras signaling.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sulindac is used in cancer prevention and therapy, but the molecular aspects of its anti-tumor effect remain unresolved. In vivo the prodrug sulindac, is converted into the metabolite sulindac sulfide. We found that sulindac sulfide strongly inhibits Ras induced malignant transformation and Ras/Raf dependent transactivation. Sulindac sulfide decreases the Ras induced activation of its main effector, the c-Raf-1 kinase. In vitro sulindac sulfide directly binds to the Ras gene product p21ras in a non-covalent manner. Moreover, we can show that sulindac sulfide inhibits the interaction of p21ras with the p21ras binding domain of the Raf protein. In addition, sulindac sulfide can impair the nucleotide exchange on p21ras by CDC25 as well as the acceleration of the p21ras GTPase reaction by p120GAP. Due to its action at the most critical site in Ras signaling we propose sulindac sulfide as a lead compound in the search for novel anti-cancer drugs which directly inhibit Ras mediated cell proliferation and malignant transformation.

3T3 Cells↗

Apo2L/TRAIL differentially modulates the apoptotic effects of sulindac and a COX-2 selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent in Bax-deficient cells.

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are believed to mediate their anticancer effects by inducing apoptosis but the molecular mechanisms of their apoptotic effects remain largely unknown. Here we report that two different NSAIDs, sulindac sulfide and SC-'236 engage the death receptor 5 (DR5) and mitochondrial pathways to mediate apoptosis in human colon cancer cells. We show that sulindac sulfide and SC-'236-induced apoptosis is coupled with upregulation of DR5, caspase 8 activation and Bid cleavage. Thus, a cross talk appears to exist between the DR5 and mitochondrial pathways during apoptosis induced by these NSAIDs. We further show that sulindac sulfide and SC-'236-induced DR5 upregulation occurs independent of the COX inhibitory effects of these NSAIDs. Using Bax-proficient (Bax+/-) and Bax-deficient (Bax-/-) HCT116 human colon cancer cells, we further demonstrate that Apo2L/TRAIL differentially modulates the apoptotic effects of sulindac sulfide and SC-'236. For example, sulindac sulfide upregulates DR5 in both Bax-deficient and proficient cells, but Apo2L/TRAIL efficiently potentiates sulindac sulfide-induced apoptosis as well as activation of caspase-8, -9 and -3 only in Bax-proficient cells. SC-'236 also upregulates DR5 in both Bax-proficient and Bax-deficient cells but Apo2L/TRAIL potentiates SC-'236-mediated apoptosis and caspases-8 and -3 activation in both Bax-proficient and Bax-deficient cells. Further, in Bax-deficient cells, neither sulindac sulfide nor SC-'236 in combination with Apo2L/TRAIL effectively promotes the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytosol and caspase-9 activation. Collectively, our results suggest that unlike sulindac sulfide, SC-'236 in combination with Apo2L/TRAIL can overcome Bax deficiency to induce apoptosis. These results have important clinical implications in that the tumors harboring Bax mutations are likely to develop resistance to sulindac but not to SC-'236-like NSAIDs. In conclusion, the data presented herein form the basis of future in-depth studies to further explore the utility of Apo2L/TRAIL and NSAIDs, in combination, as a novel cancer preventive/therapeutic strategy.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

Sulindac hepatotoxicity: effects of acute and chronic exposure.

Sulindac (Clinoril), an anti-inflammatory drug increasingly used in Australia for the treatment of rheumatological conditions, is unpredictably associated with a cholestatic hepatitis. We present three cases of sulindac hepatitis. The first case exemplifies acute sulindac hepatitis, the second, continuously exposed to sulindac for 18 months, had chronic sulindac hepatotoxicity, and in the third case, the long-term histological outcome after cessation of sulindac is described. The clinical, biochemical, and histopathological characteristics are those of a cholestatic hepatitis which resolves on withdrawal of the drug. We report marked anisonucleosis with cytoplasmic invaginations into the nucleus and binuclearity of hepatocytes as additional histological features of sulindac hepatitis. There is no evidence that sulindac hepatitis progresses to irreversible structural liver damage, although nuclear changes may persist for up to two months after cessation of the drug. The clinical and biochemical features of all reported cases of sulindac hepatitis are summarised.

Adult↗

Genetic polymorphisms of human flavin monooxygenase 3 in sulindac-mediated primary chemoprevention of familial adenomatous polyposis.

PURPOSE: Sulindac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) effective in regressing adenomas in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). However, a recent randomized trial showed that sulindac, when compared with placebo, failed to prevent the development of adenomatous polyps in genotypically positive but phenotypically negative FAP patients. The present study determined whether polymorphisms in the gene encoding flavin monooxygenase 3 (FMO3), a hepatic microsomal enzyme that inactivates sulindac, played a role in determining the efficacy of sulindac in preventing polyposis in this cohort of FAP patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Genotyping was performed on seven established FMO3 polymorphisms previously shown to have functional relevance-M66I, P153L, E158K, V257M, E305X, E308G, and R492W-in 21 and 20 FAP patients, who received sulindac and placebo, respectively. RESULTS: None of the 41 patients exhibited heterozygous or homozygous M66I and R492W variant alleles, or homozygous P153L, V257M, and E305X variant alleles. Among sulindac-treated patients who did not develop adenomas ("responders"), 4 (33%) were homozygous for E158K and 2 (17%) were homozygous for E308G variant alleles. In contrast, none of the patients on sulindac who developed adenomas ("nonresponders") exhibited homozygosity for either of the two variant alleles. In addition, polymorphisms in the E158K or E308G allele were associated with a significant reduction in mucosal prostanoid levels in patients treated with sulindac. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in FMO3, particularly at the E158K and E308G loci, may reduce activity in catabolizing sulindac and result in an increased efficacy to prevent polyposis in FAP.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗

Sulindac sulfide, an aspirin-like compound, inhibits proliferation, causes cell cycle quiescence, and induces apoptosis in HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), have cancer preventive and tumor regressive effects in the human colon. They lower the incidence of and mortality from colorectal cancer and sulindac reduces the number and size of polyps in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. We studied the effect of sulindac, and its metabolite sulindac sulfide, on the proliferation of HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells. Both compounds reduced the proliferation rate of these cells, changed their morphology, and caused them to accumulate in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. These responses were time- and concentration-dependent and reversible. In addition, these compounds reduced the level and activity of several cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks), which regulate cell cycle progression. Sulindac and sulindac sulfide also induced apoptosis in these cells at concentrations that affected their proliferation, morphology, and cell cycle phase distribution. Sulindac sulfide was approximately sixfold more potent than sulindac in inducing these cellular responses. Our results indicate that inhibition of cell cycle progression and induction of apoptotic cell death contribute to the anti-proliferative effects of sulindac and sulindac sulfide in HT-29 cells. These findings may be relevant to the cancer preventive and tumor regressive effects of these compounds in humans.

Adenocarcinoma↗