FTY720 Demonstrates Promising in-Vitro and in-Vivo Pre-Clinical Activity by Down-Modulation of Cyclin D1 and Pakt in Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

Abstract 3728

Poster Board III-664

Over-expression of Cyclin D1 and constitutive phosphorylation of Akt has been implicated in the pathogenesis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Here we describe FTY720 (fingolimod), an immunosuppressive agent currently being explored in phase III studies in renal transplantation and multiple sclerosis patients, to mediate time- and dose-dependent cell death in primary MCL cells (6 patients) and MCL cell lines, Jeko and Mino. FTY720-induced apoptosis was associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, Bax up-regulation but not associated with caspase 3 activation in MCL. FTY720 treatment resulted in time-dependent down-modulation of Cyclin D1 and phospho Akt (p-Akt) protein level, two critical disease-relevant molecules in the pathogenesis of MCL. Consistent with the modulation of Cyclin D1, FTY720-induced cell cycle arrest with accumulation of cells in G0/G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle with concomitant decrease in S phase entry. Importantly, FTY720 treatment was also associated with a time-dependent phospho Erk (p-Erk) induction in Mino and Jeko cells. To determine the in vivo efficacy of FTY720, we developed a preclinical, in vivo xenograft model of human MCL where MCL cell lines (Jeko, Mino and SP53) were engrafted into severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mice. Cell dose titration trials identified 4 × 10⁷ Mino or Jeko cells injected intravenously via tail vein to result in consistent engraftment and fatal tumor burden in all mice. All mice engrafted with 4 × 10⁷ Jeko cells developed a disseminated disease within 3 weeks and had a median survival of 28 days (compared to 43 days for Mino and 51 days for SP53). Because the Jeko cell line was established from the peripheral blood of a patient with blastic variant MCL and demonstrated a more resistant phenotype to several immuno-chemoterapeutic compounds, this cell line was chosen to create a more stringent in vivo preclinical model. SCID mice were treated with the monoclonal antibody TMβ1 to deplete murine NK cells, engrafted with 4 × 10⁷ Jeko cells and observed daily for signs of tumor burden. Ten mice/group were treated starting at day 15 post-engraftment with intraperitoneal injection of 100 μl of saline or FTY720 (5 mg/kg resuspended in 100 μl of saline), every day, for two weeks. The median survival for FTY720-treated mice (N=10) was 38 days (95% CI:30-39) compared to 26.5 days (95% CI: 26-27 days) for the control group mice (N=10). The results from the log-rank test indicated an overall statistical significant difference in survival functions between the FTY720 treatment and the control group (p=0.001).

These results provide the first evidence for a potential use of FTY720 in targeting key pathways that are operable in the pathogenesis of MCL and warrant the further investigation of FTY720 in combination with other agents in clinical trials treating patients with MCL.