More than 1/3rd of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients either have or develop metastatic-RCC (mRCC) despite nephrectomy and adjuvant treatments. Survival of mRCC patients at 5-years is < 10%. The major goal of this project is to develop a dietary supplement-based prevention and treatment strategy against mRCC. Nexavar? (SF) is an FDA approved oral angiogenesis inhibitor which improves overall survival by 12- 18%, causes disease stabilization for about 8-weeks and has a high failure rate. Although the cause of SF failure is unknown, its glucuronidation by UDP-Glucuronyltransferase-1A9 (A9) is a plausible one, because glucuronidation inactivates SF. Preliminary results presented in this application show for the first time that when compared to the SF-responders, A9 levels and SF-glucuronidation are significantly higher in tumors from those patients who fail SF treatment. Furthermore, a non-toxic dietary supplement Hymecromone (HC), consumed extensively in Asia and Europe, inhibits SF glucuronidation by downregulating A9 expression. In RCC and endothelial cells, the combination of HC and SF inhibited viability, motility, invasion and capillary formation. By inhibiting novel molecular targets in RCC and stromal cells, including A9, the combination abrogated signaling pathways that drive RCC cell survival, metastasis and angiogenesis. At concentrations less than ten-fold of those used for consumption, HC when combined with SF completely eliminated tumor growth in a SF-resistant RCC model, without toxicity. Tissue and plasma levels of SF and HC were well above the doses needed for the activity of HC+SF. The central hypothesis is that by inhibiting novel targets, HC+SF combination abrogates RCC and endothelial cell functions leading to the prevention and elimination of RCC growth, angiogenesis and metastasis. To test this hypothesis, the molecular basis of HC+SF activity will be examined in RCC and stromal cell co-cultures. Next the bioavailability and toxicity of HC+SF will be evaluated, along with the analysis of the molecular targets of HC and SF, as biomarkers, to predict RCC metastasis and response to SF. Finally, the efficacy of the HC+SF combination, to prevent tumor growth and metastasis, will be examined in spontaneously metastatic-orthotopic RCC models. Impact: This study should lead to an effective strategy for the prevention and control of mRCC that combines HC, a non-toxic dietary supplement, with SF. Evaluation of activity, bioavailability and toxicity in pre-clinical models and prediction of response may advance this dietary combination for clinical application.
This study is designed for developing an effective and non-toxic dietary supplement based strategy for prevention and control of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), which remains incurable. The strategy is to combine Hymecromone, a non-toxic dietary supplement with Nexavar, which is used for treating mRCC but has modest efficacy. Since both are oral agents and already in use, investigation into the molecular basis of activity, bioavailability, toxicity and biomarkers of response, could aid in the clinical applicatin of this dietary supplement-based strategy.
