Anti-Adult T-Cell Leukemia Effects of a Novel Synthetic Retinoid, Am80 (Tamibarotene) through Inhibition of NF-κB.

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and remains incurable. Retinoid is a collective term for compounds, which bind to and activate retinoic acid receptors (RARα, β, γ and RXRα, β, γ), members of nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. It is involved in cell differentiation, morphogenesis, proliferation, and anti-neoplastic processes. The most important endogenous retinoid is all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), which is an RARα, β, and γ ligand. ATRA and its mimics have been in clinical use for treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Many synthetic retinoids have been developed and attempts to improve their medicinal properties have been made. Among them, a novel synthetic retinoid, Am80 (Tamibarotene) is an RARα- and RARβ-specific (but RARγ- and RXRs-nonbinding) synthetic retinoid that is expected to overcome ATRA resistance, because of several times more potent differentiation activity than ATRA and sustained plasma level during continuous administration due to a lower affinity for cellular retinoic acid binding protein. On this background, we examined the inhibitory effect of Am80 on HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines and primary ATL cells. Am80 showed little growth inhibition of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, but it markedly inhibited the growth of both HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines and primary ATL cells. Am 80 could arrest cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and induced apoptosis in HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines. The NF-κB pathway is critical for the immortalization and survival of HTLV-I-infected T cells. Therefore, NF-κB pathway was examined as potential targets of Am80 signaling. Am80 significantly inhibited phosphorylation of IκBα and NF-κB-DNA binding, in conjunction with the reduction of expression of proteins involved in the G1-S cell cycle transition and apoptosis. Furthermore, in animal studies, treatment with Am80 produced partial inhibition of growth of tumors of an HTLV-I-infected T-cell line transplanted subcutaneously in severe combined immunodeficient mice. These findings clearly demonstrate that Am80 is a potential inhibitor of NF-κB in ATL cells, and might be a useful therapeutic agent against ATL.