Arginine Deprivation With Pegylated Arginine Deiminase Induces Death Of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cells In Vivo

Malignant cells require amino acids for a wide range of core functions. Amino acid deprivation using enzymatic degradation has been used to induce remission in acute lymphoblastic leukemia for decades. Amino acid deprivation may also benefit patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We have previously shown that AML cells lack of argininosuccinate synthetase 1(ASS1), a key enzyme in the pathway that produces arginine (1). Here we tested the effect of an arginine depleting agent, pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG 20) on primary AML cells in a xenograft model of AML.

NOD/SCID/interleukin 2 gamma chain null (NSG) mice were transplanted with 6 primary AML samples. 12 weeks after transplantation of AML mice received either ADI-PEG 20, cytarabine, ADI-PEG 20 plus cytarabine or vehicle. ADI was administered weekly for 4 doses and cytarabine was given for 10 consecutive days (0.2mg per day, roughly equivalent to 40mg in humans). Five weeks after treatment started, mice were killed and the percentage of AML in the bone marrow was determined by flow cytometry. Blood was collected to quantify plasma arginine using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry.

Plasma arginine levels were depressed following ADI-PEG 20 administration confirming that arginine depletion was achieved in vivo. In all six experiments the combination of ADI-PEG 20 and cytarabine induced a significant reduction in levels of AML compared to control (Figure 1). Critically the combination of ADI-PEG 20 and cytarabine was significantly better than cytarabine alone in three of six experiments.

Our experiments show that arginine deprivation by ADI-PEG 20 can decrease the leukemic burden in mice transplanted with primary AML cells. The combination of ADI with cytarabine had a greater effect than cytarabine alone in half the experiments. These results provide the rationale to test ADI-PEG 20 with cytarabine in clinical trials.

1. Peter W. Szlosarek, Fiona Luong, Andrew Clear, David Taussig, Simon Joel, Maria Calaminici, Silvana Debernardi, Jude Fitzgibbon, John S. Bomalaski, Arthur E. Frankel, and Dominique Bonnet. Pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG 20) as a potential novel therapy for argininosuccinate synthetase-deficient acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer Research: April 15, 2011. AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, (AACR Abstract # 467)

Figure 1

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Effect of arginine deprivation on leukemic burden in a xenograft. Each symbol represents a mouse. * P < 0.05

Figure 1

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Effect of arginine deprivation on leukemic burden in a xenograft. Each symbol represents a mouse. * P < 0.05

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F. M-M and L. A-M contributed equally

D.B., P.W.S. and D.C.T contributed equally

Bomalaski:Polaris Group: Employment, Equity Ownership. Szlosarek:Polaris Group: Research Funding.