PTK787/ZK 222584 inhibits tumor growth promoting mesenchymal stem cells: kinase activity profiling as powerful tool

Berber D Roorda1, Arja Ter Elst, Sander H Diks

  • 1Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen 9700 RB, Netherlands.

Insights

PTK787/ZK 222584 (PTK) inhibits bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) outgrowth, proliferation, and migration. This suggests PTK as a potential therapeutic strategy for targeting MSCs in cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promote tumor growth, highlighting the need for pharmaceutical inhibition strategies in cancer therapy.
  • Targeting MSCs is a promising approach to disrupt tumor progression and enhance anti-cancer treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of PTK787/ZK 222584 (PTK) on the biological functions of human BM-MSCs.
  • To evaluate PTK's potential as a therapeutic agent for inhibiting MSCs in the context of cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed PTK's impact on BM-MSC outgrowth from bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs).
  • Evaluated PTK's effects on MSC proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and in vitro tube formation.
  • Utilized Pepchip array analysis to profile kinase activity inhibition by PTK in MSCs.

Main Results:

  • PTK dose-dependently inhibited BM-MSC outgrowth (LC50 1.12 microM) with minimal impact on hematopoietic colony formation.
  • PTK significantly reduced MSC proliferation (74%) and increased apoptosis (63%), while impairing migration (52%) and tube formation.
  • Pepchip analysis confirmed PTK inhibited kinases involved in cell cycling and migration, correlating with observed functional effects.

Conclusions:

  • PTK effectively inhibits the outgrowth, proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human BM-MSCs.
  • PTK demonstrates potential as a therapeutic agent to inhibit MSCs, offering a novel strategy for cancer treatment.
  • Pepchip array analysis is a valuable tool for kinase activity profiling in functional studies of drug effects on MSCs.