Targeting hyaluronidase for cancer therapy: antitumor activity of sulfated hyaluronic acid in prostate cancer cells

Cancer Res. 2011 Jun 15;71(12):4085-95. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-4610. Epub 2011 May 9.

Abstract

The tumor cell-derived hyaluronidase (HAase) HYAL-1 degrades hyaluronic acid (HA) into proangiogenic fragments that support tumor progression. Although HYAL-1 is a critical determinant of tumor progression and a marker for cancer diagnosis and metastasis prediction, it has not been evaluated as a target for cancer therapy. Similarly, sulfated hyaluronic acid (sHA) has not been evaluated for biological activity, although it is an HAase inhibitor. In this study, we show that sHA is a potent inhibitor of prostate cancer. sHA blocked the proliferation, motility, and invasion of LNCaP, LNCaP-AI, DU145, and LAPC-4 prostate cancer cells, and induced caspase-8-dependent apoptosis associated with downregulation of Bcl-2 and phospho-Bad. sHA inhibited Akt signaling including androgen receptor (AR) phosphorylation, AR activity, nuclear factor κB (NFκB) activation, and VEGF expression. These effects were traced to a blockade in complex formation between phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and HA receptors and to a transcriptional downregulation of HA receptors, CD44, and RHAMM, along with PI3K inhibition. Angiogenic HA fragments or overexpression of myristoylated Akt or HA receptors blunted these effects of sHA, implicating a feedback loop between HA receptors and PI3K/Akt signaling in the mechanism of action. In an animal model, sHA strongly inhibited LNCaP-AI prostate tumor growth without causing weight loss or apparent serum-organ toxicity. Inhibition of tumor growth was accompanied by a significant decrease in tumor angiogenesis and an increase in apoptosis index. Taken together, our findings offer mechanistic insights into the tumor-associated HA-HAase system and a preclinical proof-of-concept of the safety and efficacy of sHA to control prostate cancer growth and progression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Hyaluronan Receptors / genetics
  • Hyaluronic Acid / pharmacology*
  • Hyaluronoglucosaminidase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / drug therapy
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / blood
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / genetics

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • CD44 protein, human
  • Hyaluronan Receptors
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Hyaluronic Acid
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Hyaluronoglucosaminidase