More than 40 years ago, the present standard induction therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was developed. This consists of the metabolic inhibitor cytarabine (AraC) and the cytostatic topoisomerase 2 inhibitor daunorubucin (DNR). In light of the high chance for relapse, as well as the large heterogeneity, novel therapies are needed to improve patient outcome. We have tested the anti-AML activity of 15 novel compounds based on the scaffolds pyrrolo [2,3-a]carbazole-3-carbaldehyde, pyrazolo[3,4-c]carbazole, pyrazolo[4,3-a]phenanthridine, or pyrrolo[2,3-g]indazole. The compounds were inhibitors of Pim kinases, but could also have inhibitory activity against other protein kinases. Ser/Thr kinases like the Pim kinases have been identified as potential drug targets for AML therapy. The compound VS-II-173 induced AML cell death with EC 50 below 5 mmol/L, and was 10 times less potent against nonmalignant cells. It perturbed Pim-kinase-mediated AML cell signaling, such as attenuation of Stat5 or MDM2 phosphorylation, and synergized with DNR to induce AML cell death. VS-II-173 induced cell death also in patients with AML blasts, including blast carrying high-risk FLT3-ITD mutations. Mutation of nucleophosmin-1 was associated with good response to VS-II-173. In conclusion new scaffolds for potential AML drugs have been explored. The selective activity toward patient AML blasts and AML cell lines of the pyrazolo-analogue VS-II-173 make it a promising drug candidate to be further tested in preclinical animal models for AML.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized as a heterogeneous disease where the patients are sub grouped according to several classification systems and mutational analyses. Diagnosis of AML is based on identification of the specific myeloid cell initiating the disease, quantification of immature blasts in bone marrow and peripheral blood, as well as detection of mutations and translocations. The heterogeneity of AML is caused by a block in differentiation that may occur in any of the different myeloid cell populations. These undifferentiated cells also harbor an increased proliferation potential that leads to accumulation of immature leukemic cells. The current development of more sensitive and less labor intensive analysis methods has led classification of patients from being a system based on morphology of the leukemic cells to being more sophisticated, detecting translocations and small mutations found in the whole leukemic clone or in a minor subclone. This review aims to describe the most common classification systems of AML, including frequently occurring translocations, mutations and epigenetic alterations, as well as describe traditional and novel methods for diagnosis and analysis of these patients.
<div>Abstract<p>More than 40 years ago, the present standard induction therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was developed. This consists of the metabolic inhibitor cytarabine (AraC) and the cytostatic topoisomerase 2 inhibitor daunorubucin (DNR). In light of the high chance for relapse, as well as the large heterogeneity, novel therapies are needed to improve patient outcome. We have tested the anti-AML activity of 15 novel compounds based on the scaffolds pyrrolo[2,3-<i>a</i>]carbazole-3-carbaldehyde, pyrazolo[3,4-<i>c</i>]carbazole, pyrazolo[4,3-<i>a</i>]phenanthridine, or pyrrolo[2,3-<i>g</i>]indazole. The compounds were inhibitors of Pim kinases, but could also have inhibitory activity against other protein kinases. Ser/Thr kinases like the Pim kinases have been identified as potential drug targets for AML therapy. The compound VS-II-173 induced AML cell death with EC<sub>50</sub> below 5 μmol/L, and was 10 times less potent against nonmalignant cells. It perturbed Pim-kinase–mediated AML cell signaling, such as attenuation of Stat5 or MDM2 phosphorylation, and synergized with DNR to induce AML cell death. VS-II-173 induced cell death also in patients with AML blasts, including blast carrying high-risk FLT3-ITD mutations. Mutation of nucleophosmin-1 was associated with good response to VS-II-173. In conclusion new scaffolds for potential AML drugs have been explored. The selective activity toward patient AML blasts and AML cell lines of the pyrazolo-analogue VS-II-173 make it a promising drug candidate to be further tested in preclinical animal models for AML.</p></div>
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