In vitro effects of PI3K/mTOR inhibition in canine hemangiosarcoma

While extremely rare in humans, hemangiosarcoma (HSA) accounts for nearly 2% of canine neoplasia, and is characterized by both aggressive local growth/invasion and a high rate of metastasis. Both canine and human HSA exhibit sustained aberrant PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway signaling. The purpose of this study was to examine the in vitro effects of a novel dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, VDC-597, in three canine HSA cell lines (DEN-, CIN-, and SB-HSA). VDC-597 suppressed activation of both Akt and 4eBP1 in canine HSA cells in a dose-dependent fashion, with an IC50 of approximately 0.3 uM, a concentration predicted to be clinically achievable based on preliminary early-phase canine and human studies. VDC-597 dose-dependently reduced proliferation, migration, and vascular endothelial growth factor production in HSA cells, while promoting tumor cell apoptosis. VDC-597 demonstrated additive antiproliferative effects when combined with doxorubicin. These results suggest that inhibitors of the PI3K/mTOR pathway may act against multiple components of the neoplastic process, including proliferation/apoptosis, chemosensitivity, migration, and angiogenesis, and justify the evaluation of PI3K/mTOR inhibitors in canine, and potentially human, HSA.