Abstract
Phosphorothioate (P=S) antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) targeting the cell survival gene clusterin synergistically enhance castration- and chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer xenografts. This study compares efficacy, tissue half-lives, and toxicity of P=S clusterin ASO to third-generation backbone 2′-O-(2-methoxy)ethyl (2′MOE) ribose-modified clusterin ASO. Northern analysis quantified changes in clusterin mRNA levels in human PC-3 cells and tumors. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay measured effects of combined clusterin ASO plus paclitaxel on PC-3 cell growth. Athymic mice bearing PC-3 tumors were treated with paclitaxel plus either P=S clusterin ASO, 2′-MOE clusterin ASO, or mismatch control oligonucleotides for 28 days. Weekly body weights and serum parameters were measured to assess toxicity. Tissue half-life of P=S and 2′-MOE ASO in PC-3 tumors was assessed using capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE). Both 2′-MOE and P=S ASO decreased clusterin mRNA levels in a dose-dependent and sequence-specific manner. 2′-MOE ASO more potently suppressed clusterin mRNA (80 versus 40% at 500 nM) compared with P=S ASO. IC50 of paclitaxel was equally reduced (50–75%) by both compounds. In vivo tissue half-life was significantly longer for 2′-MOE-modified ASO than for P=S ASO (5 versus 0.5 days). Using CGE, >90% of detected 2′-MOE ASO in tumor tissue was full length. Weekly administration of 2′-MOE clusterin ASO was equivalent to daily P=S clusterin ASO in enhancing paclitaxel efficacy in vivo. 2′-MOE-modified ASO potently suppressed clusterin expression and prolonged tissue half-lives with no additional side effects. These results support the use of 2′-MOE-modified ASO over conventional P=S ASO by potentially increasing potency and allowing longer dosing intervals in clinical trials.
Footnotes
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This work was supported in part by a grant from the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada, and the Hudson Fund at Vancouver Hospital. T.Z. was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, Krebsliga Basel, Lichtenstein-Stiftung, and Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft of the University of Basel, Switzerland.
- Abbreviations:
- ASO
- antisense oligonucleotide
- P=O
- phosphodiester
- P=S
- phosphorothioate
- 2′-MOE
- 2′-O-(2-methoxy)ethyl
- GAPDH
- glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
- CGE
- capillary gel electrophoresis
- MTT
- 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
- Received February 19, 2001.
- Accepted May 11, 2001.
- The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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