T-cadherin is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored member of the cadherin superfamily involved in the guidance of migrating cells. We have previously shown that in vivo T-cadherin overexpression leads to increased melanoma primary tumor growth due to the recruitment of mesenchymal stromal cells as well as the enhanced metastasis. Since tumor progression is highly dependent upon cell migration and invasion, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms of T-cadherin participation in these processes. Herein we show that T-cadherin expression results in the increased invasive potential due to the upregulated expression of pro-oncogenic integrins, chemokines, adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix components. The detected increase in chemokine expression could be responsible for the stromal cell recruitment. At the same time our previous data demonstrated that T-cadherin expression inhibited neoangiogenesis in the primary tumors. We demonstrate molecules and reduction in pro-angiogenic factors. Thus, T-cadherin plays a dual role in melanoma growth and progression: T-cadherin expression results in anti-angiogenic effects in melanoma, however, this also stimulates transcription of genes responsible for migration and invasion of melanoma cells.

The new antitumor agent anthrafuran has demonstrated a consistent effect in murine tumor models when administered parenterally due to the simultaneous inhibition of multiple cellular targets such as topoisomerases I/II and protein kinases. In this study, we assessed the anticancer efficiency and acute toxicity of anthrafuran administered orally. The action of anthrafuran was studied on transplanted tumor models which included P388 leukemia, Ca755 mammary adenocarcinoma, LLC lung carcinoma, and T47D human breast cancer xenografts on Balb/c nude mice. A significant antitumor efficacy of oral anthrafuran was revealed for all tested tumor models as follows: T/C_max = 219% for P388, TGI_max = 91% for Ca755, TGI_max = 84% with CR_max = 54% for LLC, and T/C = 38% for T47D. The optimal treatment schedule of orally administered anthrafuran was 70–100 mg/kg given daily for five days. The LD₅₀ value of orally administered anthrafuran (306.7 mg/kg) in mice was six times higher than that for i.p. administration (52.5 mg/kg). The rates of antitumor efficacy and acute toxicity indicate the high potential for further research on anthrafuran as a new original oral anticancer multitarget agent with an expected satisfactory tolerability and bioavailability.

The main objective of this study was the characterization of preclinical tumor models based on their expression of alpha-fetoprotein receptor (RECAF) for targeting cancer cells with a new non-covalent complex (AIMPILA) containing alpha-fetoprotein as the carrier and Atractyloside as an apoptosis-inducing agent. For that purpose, we measured the amount of RECAF in the homogenates of the grafted tumors T47D and SW620 and in HepG2 cell extracts. We also determined the alpha-fetoprotein binding specificity of the targeting drug AIMPILA using a solid-phase chemiluminescent assay with AIMPILA-Acrdidinium. We found that RECAF is practically absent from healthy mice tissues (100 Units/mg) where in malignant cells, the amount of alpha-fetoprotein receptors follows this order: T47D (9152 Units/mg) > HepG2 (4865 Units/mg) > SW620 (2839 Units/mg). This agrees with our findings regarding AIMPILA-induced tumor growth inhibition (T47D (T/C = 22%) > HepG2 (T/C = 51%) > SW620 (T/C = 70%), where T/C is the ratio of tumor volume in treated vs control animals). Our results demonstrate that the therapeutic response to the targeting drug AIMPILA strongly depends on the RECAF expression by human tumors and confirms the choice of the tumor models used for an AIMPILA preclinical study.

There was executed the analysis of thematic literature during from 1956 to 2015 devoted to receptors to fetal proteins, including to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) known in medicine as oncomarker and used by malignant cells for the organization of tumoral homeostasis. As protein carrier, AFP similar to albumin takes of vitally important molecules in a space «hydrophobic pocket» and moves inside a cell, but as the cancer-embryonal antigen (CEA) - determines the existence of a malignant tumor, but not the type of a neoplasm. On the bounding of AFP with teratogen and their internalization and delivery in an embryo there is based the development of ways of «address» delivery of substances into a cell. This is realized by means of receptor mediated endocytosis via specific membranous receptors to AFP (ReCAF) with high selectivity concerning malignant cells of various genesis. Up to 90% of all malignant cells of the human and tumor models for human and mammalians express AFP receptors, including rather recently opened stem tumor cells - the most probable source of metastasing. AFP production and expression of receptors is selectively raised in malignant tumors of patients and human tumor models. The hyperproduction of AFP and hyperexpression of ReCAF are related to the histologic type of tumor model and are characteristic for embrional cell tumors and hepatoblastomas with initially low drug sensitivity or with the resistance. When choosing the model it is necessary to consider that in different types of tumor cells ReCAF have specific features in cultivation which are not pronounced in conditions of an animal organism. More differentiated tumors are characterized by the larger level of the AFP production and a hyperexpression of ReCAF. The use of subcutaneous tumor xenografts signal for AFP localizations with the hyperexpression of receptors, allows to reveal mostly evidentially the effectiveness of the therapeutic system at the preclinical level. Address delivery of therapeutic systems created on the basis of AFP or its fragments is capable of causing the change of their pharmacological properties. The therapeutic prize is possible due to the induction of process of apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway, but at the same time the fall in the cytotoxic capacity of system is possible.

A new antitumor multi-target drug anthrafuran, with cellular targets such as topoisomerase I/II and some protein kinases, was obtained in Gause Institute of New Antibiotics and was demonstrated to have a reliable specific effect on different murine and human tumor models by oral administration. In this study, we focused on the evaluation of subchronic toxicity of oral anthrafuran drug formulation (AF) on Chinchilla rabbits. The absence of any changes in the condition or behavior of animals was shown for oral anthrafuran. Changes with reversible and dose-dependent hepato- and nephrotoxicity at low doses, as well as hemato- and gastrointestinal toxicity at high doses, were confirmed pathomorphologically. The identified toxic properties are extremely valuable, since oral anthrafuran does not have the limiting cardio- and myelotoxicity. Anthrafuran with 2 mg/kg/day or 6 mg/kg/day doses was administrated orally over 15 days. Investigations include assessment of the body weight, hematological and serum biochemical parameters and urinalysis, electrocardiography and pathomorphological evaluation of the internal organs. Quantitative data were processed statistically with Student’s t-Test, p < 0.05. Revealed during the subchronic study were the favorable toxicological properties of oral anthrafuran as opposed to clinical anthracyclines, oral idarubicin, or parenteral doxorubicin, which allows it to be considered promising for further research.

Research is devoted to the study of the ability of the labeled complex «AIMPILA-ACRIDIN» and the test compound «AFP-ACRIDIN» in concentration of 1.0 mkg/ml to internalize in a small intestine. For this purpose there was used the modified technique of the isolated inverted small intestinal sac method in rats with the aid of by ourselves delivered technique with the use of a conjugate of the studied complex with luminescent ACRIDIN in the incubatory environment. The nonspecific luminescence of the incubatory environment without label was shown to be extremely low: the level of a luminescence of 30-39 RLU is the minimum basic signal and can t significantly influence on results of testing. The starting level of a luminescence in the incubatory environment after supplementation of conjugates of AIMPILA-ACRIDIN or AFP-ACRIDIN is rather high and accounts of 1073714 RLU and 1602017, respectively. In a gleam of the «inverted» pieces of a small intestine the level of a luminescence accounted of 548 and 997 RLU and 425-829 RLU. The obtained data allow to consider the complex AIMPILA in rather low concentration is capable to absorb in a small intestine of rat over the physiologically adequate time that similar to AFP labeled by ACRIDIN.