The celecoxib derivatives AR-12 and AR-14 induce autophagy and clear prion-infected cells from prions

Sci Rep. 2017 Dec 14;7(1):17565. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-17770-8.

Abstract

Prion diseases are fatal infectious neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals. The autocatalytic conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into the pathologic isoform PrPSc is a key feature in prion pathogenesis. AR-12 is an IND-approved derivative of celecoxib that demonstrated preclinical activity against several microbial diseases. Recently, AR-12 has been shown to facilitate clearance of misfolded proteins. The latter proposes AR-12 to be a potential therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we investigated the role of AR-12 and its derivatives in controlling prion infection. We tested AR-12 in prion infected neuronal and non-neuronal cell lines. Immunoblotting and confocal microscopy results showed that AR-12 and its analogue AR-14 reduced PrPSc levels after only 72 hours of treatment. Furthermore, infected cells were cured of PrPSc after exposure of AR-12 or AR-14 for only two weeks. We partially attribute the influence of the AR compounds on prion propagation to autophagy stimulation, in line with our previous findings that drug-induced stimulation of autophagy has anti-prion effects in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, this study demonstrates that AR-12 and the AR-14 analogue are potential new therapeutic agents for prion diseases and possibly protein misfolding disorders involving prion-like mechanisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autophagy / drug effects*
  • Celecoxib / analogs & derivatives*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Mice
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / pathology
  • PrPSc Proteins / metabolism*
  • Pyrazoles / chemistry
  • Pyrazoles / pharmacology*
  • Sulfonamides / chemistry
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology*

Substances

  • OSU 03012
  • PrPSc Proteins
  • Pyrazoles
  • Sulfonamides
  • Celecoxib