Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic Mice

Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has one of the highest recurrence rates among all solid cancers and the highest lifetime treatment cost per patient. Therefore, the development of chemoprevention strategies for reducing the occurrence and recurrence of NMIBC as well as its burdens on the h...

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Main Authors: Zhongbo Liu, Liankun Song, Jun Xie, Anne R. Simoneau, Edward Uchio, Xiaolin Zi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-02-01
Series:Pharmaceutics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/3/496
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author Zhongbo Liu
Liankun Song
Jun Xie
Anne R. Simoneau
Edward Uchio
Xiaolin Zi
author_facet Zhongbo Liu
Liankun Song
Jun Xie
Anne R. Simoneau
Edward Uchio
Xiaolin Zi
author_sort Zhongbo Liu
collection DOAJ
description Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has one of the highest recurrence rates among all solid cancers and the highest lifetime treatment cost per patient. Therefore, the development of chemoprevention strategies for reducing the occurrence and recurrence of NMIBC as well as its burdens on the healthcare system is valuable. Our aim was to determine whether flavokawain A (FKA), a kava chalcone isolated from the kava plant, can target the in vivo activated Ha-ras pathway for prevention and treatment of NMIBC. UPII-mutant Ha-ras transgenic mice that develop papillary urothelial cell carcinoma were fed orally with vehicle control or FKA-formulated food for 6 months starting at 6 weeks of age. Seventy-nine percent (15/19) of male mice fed with 6 g FKA per kilogram (kg) of food survived beyond the 6 months of treatment, while 31.6% (6/19) of control food-fed male mice survived the 6-month treatment period (<i>p</i> = 0.02). The mean bladder weights in FKA vs. control food-fed mice were 0.216 ± 0.033 vs. 0.342 ± 0.039 g in male mice (<i>p</i> = 0.0413) and 0.043 ± 0.004 vs. 0.073 ± 0.004 g in female mice (<i>p</i> < 0.0001); FKA reduced bladder weight by 37% and 41%, respectively. The tumor burdens, determined by the wet bladder weight, in these mice were inversely related to plasma FKA concentrations. In addition to decreased bladder weight, FKA treatment significantly reduced the incidences of hydronephrosis and hematuria. FKA-treated mice exhibited more well-differentiated tumors in the bladder and ureter. Immunohistochemical analysis of FKA-treated tumors compared to those in the control group revealed fewer Ki-67- and survivin-positive cells and an increased number of p27- and TUNEL-positive cells, indicating that FKA inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis. Overall, the results suggest that FKA can target the in vivo activated Ha-ras pathway for the prevention and treatment of NMIBC.
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spelling doaj.art-0b4040b01e9045f58a54ab7098751bc02023-11-30T21:55:43ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232022-02-0114349610.3390/pharmaceutics14030496Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic MiceZhongbo Liu0Liankun Song1Jun Xie2Anne R. Simoneau3Edward Uchio4Xiaolin Zi5Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92868, USADepartment of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92868, USADepartment of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92868, USADepartment of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92868, USADepartment of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92868, USADepartment of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92868, USANon-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has one of the highest recurrence rates among all solid cancers and the highest lifetime treatment cost per patient. Therefore, the development of chemoprevention strategies for reducing the occurrence and recurrence of NMIBC as well as its burdens on the healthcare system is valuable. Our aim was to determine whether flavokawain A (FKA), a kava chalcone isolated from the kava plant, can target the in vivo activated Ha-ras pathway for prevention and treatment of NMIBC. UPII-mutant Ha-ras transgenic mice that develop papillary urothelial cell carcinoma were fed orally with vehicle control or FKA-formulated food for 6 months starting at 6 weeks of age. Seventy-nine percent (15/19) of male mice fed with 6 g FKA per kilogram (kg) of food survived beyond the 6 months of treatment, while 31.6% (6/19) of control food-fed male mice survived the 6-month treatment period (<i>p</i> = 0.02). The mean bladder weights in FKA vs. control food-fed mice were 0.216 ± 0.033 vs. 0.342 ± 0.039 g in male mice (<i>p</i> = 0.0413) and 0.043 ± 0.004 vs. 0.073 ± 0.004 g in female mice (<i>p</i> < 0.0001); FKA reduced bladder weight by 37% and 41%, respectively. The tumor burdens, determined by the wet bladder weight, in these mice were inversely related to plasma FKA concentrations. In addition to decreased bladder weight, FKA treatment significantly reduced the incidences of hydronephrosis and hematuria. FKA-treated mice exhibited more well-differentiated tumors in the bladder and ureter. Immunohistochemical analysis of FKA-treated tumors compared to those in the control group revealed fewer Ki-67- and survivin-positive cells and an increased number of p27- and TUNEL-positive cells, indicating that FKA inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis. Overall, the results suggest that FKA can target the in vivo activated Ha-ras pathway for the prevention and treatment of NMIBC.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/3/496flavokawain Aurothelial cell carcinomaUPII-mutant Ha-ras transgenic mice
spellingShingle Zhongbo Liu
Liankun Song
Jun Xie
Anne R. Simoneau
Edward Uchio
Xiaolin Zi
Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic Mice
Pharmaceutics
flavokawain A
urothelial cell carcinoma
UPII-mutant Ha-ras transgenic mice
title Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic Mice
title_full Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic Mice
title_fullStr Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic Mice
title_full_unstemmed Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic Mice
title_short Chemoprevention of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Dietary Flavokawain A in UPII-Mutant Ha-ras Transgenic Mice
title_sort chemoprevention of urothelial cell carcinoma tumorigenesis by dietary flavokawain a in upii mutant ha ras transgenic mice
topic flavokawain A
urothelial cell carcinoma
UPII-mutant Ha-ras transgenic mice
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/3/496
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