Novel glycolipid agents for killing cisplatin-resistant human epithelial ovarian cancer cells

作者：Moraya Amani I; Ali Jennifer L; Samadder Pranati; Liang Lisa; Morrison Ludivine Coudiere; Werbowetski Ogilvie Tamra E; Ogunsina Makanjuola; Schweizer Frank; Arthur Gilbert; Nachtigal Mark W^*

来源：Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, 2017, 36(1): 67.

DOI：10.1186/s13046-017-0538-9

• Ovarian cancer
• Drug-resistance
• Glycosylated anti-tumour ether lipid
• Spheroid

Background: Chemotherapy resistance is one of the major factors contributing to mortality from human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Identifying drugs that can effectively kill chemotherapy- resistant EOC cells would be a major advance in reducing mortality. Glycosylated antitumour ether lipids (GAELs) are synthetic glycolipids that are cytotoxic to a wide range of cancer cells. They appear to induce cancer cell death in an apoptosis-independent manner.
Methods: Herein, the effectiveness of two GAELs, GLN and MO-101, in killing chemotherapy-sensitive and -resistant EOC cells lines and primary cell samples was tested using monolayer, non-adherent aggregate, and non-adherent spheroid cultures.
Results: Our results show that EOC cells exhibit a differential sensitivity to the GAELs. Strikingly, both GAELs are capable of inducing EOC cell death in chemotherapy-sensitive and -resistant cells grown as monolayer or non-adherent cultures. Mechanistic studies provide evidence that apoptotic-cell death (caspase activation) contributes to, but is not completely responsible for, GAEL-induced cell killing in the A2780-cp EOC cell line, but not primary EOC cell samples.
Conclusions: Studies using primary EOC cell samples supports previously published work showing a GAEL-induced caspase-independent mechanism of death. GAELs hold promise for development as novel compounds to combat EOC mortality due to chemotherapy resistance.

• 出版日期2017-5-12