RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Autophagy Inhibition Delays Early but Not Late-Stage Metastatic Disease JF Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO J Pharmacol Exp Ther FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 282 OP 293 DO 10.1124/jpet.116.233908 VO 358 IS 2 A1 Rebecca A. Barnard A1 Daniel P. Regan A1 Ryan J. Hansen A1 Paola Maycotte A1 Andrew Thorburn A1 Daniel L. Gustafson YR 2016 UL http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/358/2/282.abstract AB The autophagy pathway has been recognized as a mechanism of survival and therapy resistance in cancer, yet the extent of autophagy’s function in metastatic progression is still unclear. Therefore, we used murine models of metastatic cancer to investigate the effect of autophagy modulation on metastasis development. Pharmacologic and genetic autophagy inhibition were able to impede cell proliferation in culture, but did not impact the development of experimentally induced 4T1 and B16-F10 metastases. Similarly, autophagy inhibition by adjuvant chloroquine (CQ) treatment did not delay metastasis in an orthotopic 4T1, tumor-resection model. However, neoadjuvant CQ treatment or genetic autophagy inhibition resulted in delayed metastasis development, whereas stimulation of autophagy by trehalose hastened development. Cisplatin was also administered either as a single agent or in combination with CQ. The combination of cisplatin and CQ was antagonistic. The effects of autophagy modulation on metastasis did not appear to be due to alterations in the intrinsic metastatic capability of the cells, as modulating autophagy had no impact on migration, invasion, or anchorage-independent growth in vitro. To explore the possibility of autophagy’s influence on the metastatic microenvironment, bone marrow–derived cells (BMDCs), which mediate the establishment of the premetastatic niche, were measured in the lung and in circulation. Trehalose-treated mice had significantly more BMDCs than either vehicle- or CQ-treated mice. Autophagy inhibition may be most useful as a treatment to impede early metastatic development. However, modulating autophagy may also alter the efficacy of platinum-based therapies, requiring caution when considering combination therapies.