Research at SNU is supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) by the MEST of Korea for Tumor Microenvironment Global Core Research Center (GCRC) grant, [grant number 2011-0030001]; by the Seoul National University Research Grant and by Brain Korea (BK21) PLUS program.

1. Colony Formation Assays
<ol>
	<li>Culture A549 cells at a concentration of 20,000 cells/cm2 in 15 mL of RPMI1640 cell culture medium supplemented with 10% FBS (Fetal Bovine Serum) and 1% antibiotics in a 75 cm2 flask in a CO2 incubator at 37&#160;&#176;C and 5% CO2.</li>
	<li>On the day of the experiment, determine the cell concentration by using a hemocytometer. Collect 50,000 cells by centrifugation at 400 x g for 7 min in a 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tube and re-suspend cells in 100 &#181;L of 1x sterile PBS (Phosphate Buffered Saline) in 1.5 mL tubes.</li>
	<li>Dispense 1.1 mL of semi-solid methylcellulose-based medium (MCBM) in 15 mL tubes with a multipipette. Prepare one tube for each condition.</li>
	<li>Add 110 &#181;L of FBS to 1.1 mL of MCBM using a P200 micropipette.</li>
	<li>Seeds cells at 1,000 cells/mL. Collect 2.4 &#181;L of cell suspension from the stock solution (50,000 cells in 100 &#181;L of 1x PBS) using a P2 micropipette and add to 1.1 mL of MCBM supplemented with 10% FBS.</li>
	<li>After adding the cells, vortex the tubes for 1 min, holding them vertically at the highest speed to mix MCBM and cells well.</li>
	<li>Add test compounds (OT48 alone or in combination with A1210477). Prepare a separate tube as a control for the solvent used (here dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)). Depending on the concentration of the compounds and the volume added for each condition, the solvent control will include the highest concentration of solvent used for the dilutions of the test compound, to assess for adverse effects caused by the solvent.</li>
	<li>Vortex tubes for 1 minute.</li>
	<li>For each assay, add 1 mL of the mixture with a P1000 micropipette to the center well of a 12-well cell culture plate.</li>
	<li>Fill empty wells with 1 mL of sterile water or 1x PBS to stabilize humidity.</li>
	<li>Incubate culture plates for 10 days in an incubator at 37&#160;&#176;C and 5% CO2.</li>
	<li>After 10 days of incubation, add 200 &#181;L of an MTT (methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) stock solution (5 mg/mL) to each well to reach a final concentration of 1 mg/mL.</li>
	<li>Incubate 10 min in an incubator at 37&#160;&#176;C and 5% CO2. Viable colonies will turn violet.</li>
	<li>Capture the image using a digital camera using the white background plate (LAS white dia tray). Use the following settings: Method, digitize; Exposure type, precision; Exposure time, manual, 1 second; Sensitivity/resolution, high resolution. Save the image in tiff format.</li>
	<li>Quantify viable colonies by using ImageJ software. Select menu &#34;Image | Type | 8 bit&#34;. Select menu &#34;Adjust | Threshold&#34;. Set threshold to control and keep constant for all conditions; Select menu &#34;Analyze | Analyze Particles&#34;. Save data and analyze with a statistics software for graphical representation.</li>
</ol>
2. Spheroid Formation Assay
<ol>
	<li>Culture A549 cells at a concentration of 20,000 cells/cm2 in 75 cm2 flasks with 15 mL of RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS and 1% antibiotics.</li>
	<li>On the day of the experiment, prepare a 96 well U-bottom plate.</li>
	<li>Plate 10,000 cells into a well which already contains the compound of interest (here 50 &#181;M of OT48 and/or 20 &#181;M of A1210477). Adjust the final volume to 100 &#181;L of cell culture medium. The number of cells that form uniform spheroids with an intact outer boundary is considered adequate to form spheroids.</li>
	<li>Incubate for 3 days in an incubator at 37&#160;&#176;C and at 5% CO2.</li>
	<li>After 3 days of incubation, capture images of the spheroids using a light microscope with 4x magnification.</li>
</ol>
3. Zebrafish Xenograft Assay
NOTE: This technical approach is visualized as a schematic (Figure 1).
<ol>
	<li>Preparation of stock reagents
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare 1 L of 30x Danieau&#8217;s solution: 1740 mM NaCl, 21 mM KCl, 12 mM MgSO4&#8729;7H2O, 18 mM Ca(NO3)2, and 150 mM HEPES. Adjust to the pH of the buffer to 7.6 using a pH meter.</li>
		<li>Prepare 1% (50x) tricaine solution: Dissolve 20 mg of ethyl 3-aminobenzoate methanesulfonate (tricaine) in 2 mL of distilled water.</li>
		<li>Prepare 1% phenol Red-PBS solution: Add 2 &#181;L of Phenol Red sodium salt solution to 198 &#181;L of sterilized PBS solution in a 1.5 &#181;L tube.</li>
		<li>Prepare 3% methylcellulose: Add 3 g of methylcellulose to 100 mL of 1x Danieau&#8217;s solution.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Zebrafish egg production and incubation
	<ol>
		<li>Separate one female and one male zebrafish in a partition tank filled with UV-sterilized and filtered tap water at 28.5&#160;&#176;C in the dark. After 24 h of separation, mix fish of both genders to initiate mating. Transfer fertilized eggs from the mating tank to a Petri dish containing 5 mL of fresh Danieau&#8217;s solution.</li>
		<li>Wash eggs three times with 5 mL of Danieau&#8217;s solution. For the washing, carefully aspirate the eggs with a pipette and transfer to 5 mL of fresh solution. Incubate for 8 h at 28.5&#160;&#176;C.
		<ol>
			<li>After 8 h of incubation in Danieau&#39;s solution, change to Danieau&#39;s solution containing 0.03% 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU) to inhibit pigmentation. Sort out opaque eggs (unfertilized or containing undeveloped embryos) to prevent contamination.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Embryo dechorionation
	<ol>
		<li>24 h post fertilization (hpf), dechorionate zebrafish embryos using sharp forceps. Incubate hatching embryos in Danieau&#8217;s solution with 0.03% PTU at 28.5&#160;&#176;C until 48 hpf.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Compound-treated cell preparation
	<ol>
		<li>Seed A549 cells at 20,000 cells/cm2 in 25 cm2 culture flasks. After 24 h of seeding, add compounds (here OT48 at 50 &#181;M and and/or A1210477 at 20 &#181;M) for 24 h in an incubator at 37&#160;&#176;C and 5% CO2. Set up the treatment time for each compound to maintain the viability of the cells but to commit them towards cell death. This time point needs to be individually set up based on cell viability, morphology and molecular markers.</li>
		<li>2 h before the end of the treatment, stain cells with 4 &#181;M of fluorescent cell tracker dye CM-Dil at 37&#160;&#176;C and 5% CO2. After 2 h of incubation, trypsinize cells with 0.05% trypsin-EDTA, and dilute 106 cells in 50 &#181;L of phenol Red-PBS solution prior to injection.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Micro-injection of cancer cells for xenograft formation
	<ol>
		<li>Anesthetize zebrafish in a 0.02% tricaine solution for 5 min until they settle down on an agar plate.</li>
		<li>Pull a 1.0 mm (outside diameter (OD) glass capillary) by a micropipette puller (Program settings: P: 300, Heat: 260, Pull: 60, VEL: 50, and Time: 200). Cut the microcapillary with a syringe to produce a sharp edge. Load microcapillaries with 20 &#181;L of cell/phenol Red-PBS solution. Set injection pressure and time to dispense 2 nL per injection.</li>
		<li>Inject 100&#8211;200 cells into the yolk sac by injecting 6 to 10 nL via 3 to 5 injections. After injection, allow fish to recover for 10 to 30 min in 5 mL of fresh Danieau&#8217;s solution containing PTU solution. Dispatch fish in 24-well plates with 1 mL of Danieau&#39;s solution containing PTU solution are and incubate for 72 h at 28.5&#160;&#176;C.</li>
		<li>After 72 h of incubation, anesthetize fish in a 0.02% tricaine solution and immobilize on a glass slide with a drop of 3% methylcellulose. Take 5x pictures by fluorescence microscopy at a wavelength of 620 to 750 nm.</li>
		<li>Quantify the size of fluorescent tumors by ImageJ software. Select menu &#34;Analyze | Measure&#34;. Save values corresponding to the fluorescent signal and analyze with a statistics software for graphical representation.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

<ol>
	<li>Giancotti, F. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Deregulation+of+cell+signaling+in+cancer.">Deregulation of cell signaling in cancer.</a> FEBS Letters. 588 (16), 2558-2570 (2014).</li><li>Knowlton, S., Onal, S., Yu, C. H., Zhao, J. J., Tasoglu, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bioprinting+for+cancer+research.">Bioprinting for cancer research.</a> Trends in Biotechnology. 33 (9), 504-513 (2015).</li><li>Santo, V. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Drug+screening+in+3D+in+vitro+tumor+models:+overcoming+current+pitfalls+of+efficacy+read-outs.">Drug screening in 3D in vitro tumor models: overcoming current pitfalls of efficacy read-outs.</a> Biotechnology Journal. 12 (1), (2017).</li><li>Tanner, K., Gottesman, M. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Beyond+3D+culture+models+of+cancer.">Beyond 3D culture models of cancer.</a> Science Translational Medicine. 7 (283), 283ps289 (2015).</li><li>Haycock, J. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=3D+cell+culture:+a+review+of+current+approaches+and+techniques.">3D cell culture: a review of current approaches and techniques.</a> Methods in Molecular Biology. 695, 1-15 (2011).</li><li>Talhi, O., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bis(4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one):+synthesis+and+effects+on+leukemic+cell+lines+proliferation+and+NF-kappaB+regulation.">Bis(4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one): synthesis and effects on leukemic cell lines proliferation and NF-kappaB regulation.</a> Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry. 22 (11), 3008-3015 (2014).</li><li>Franken, N. A., Rodermond, H. M., Stap, J., Haveman, J., van Bree, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Clonogenic+assay+of+cells+in+vitro.">Clonogenic assay of cells in vitro.</a> Nature Protocols. 1 (5), 2315-2319 (2006).</li><li>Katt, M. E., Placone, A. L., Wong, A. D., Xu, Z. S., Searson, P. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+Vitro+Tumor+Models:+Advantages,+Disadvantages,+Variables,+and+Selecting+the+Right+Platform.">In Vitro Tumor Models: Advantages, Disadvantages, Variables, and Selecting the Right Platform.</a> Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 4, 12 (2016).</li><li>Lee, J. 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A., Anfosso, A., Haass, N. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Real-Time+Cell+Cycle+Imaging+in+a+3D+Cell+Culture+Model+of+Melanoma.">Real-Time Cell Cycle Imaging in a 3D Cell Culture Model of Melanoma.</a> Methods in Molecular Biology. 1612, 401-416 (2017).</li><li>Beaumont, K. A., Anfosso, A., Ahmed, F., Weninger, W., Haass, N. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Imaging-+and+Flow+Cytometry-based+Analysis+of+Cell+Position+and+the+Cell+Cycle+in+3D+Melanoma+Spheroids.">Imaging- and Flow Cytometry-based Analysis of Cell Position and the Cell Cycle in 3D Melanoma Spheroids.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (106), e53486 (2015).</li><li>Lovitt, C. J., Shelper, T. B., Avery, V. 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The authors have nothing to disclose.

The rates of colony formation obtained with MCBM depends on the cell type. Usually, for non-adherent cells, the number of colonies is much higher compared to adherent cells. We observed that A549 cells formed 30 to 40 colonies after 10 days. Previously we have reported for different leukemia cells that number of colonies is between 200 to 2509. Our results showed that OT48 alone did not produce a significant decrease of the number of colonies alone. However, in combination with BH3 mimetic A121047...

Cancer is caused by cellular mutations and as a consequence biochemical signaling pathways are disrupted triggering uncontrolled cell division and resistance to cell death. Tumors interfere with physiological functions of digestive, nervous, circulatory systems and subsequently neighboring tissues1. Despite extensive research efforts, cancer remains the most prevalent life-threatening disease in the world2. Precision medicine has been recognized as the foundation of future cancer therapeutics. New molecular entities are tested routinely in combination with existing drugs to improve clinical outcome.
However, one of the significant limitations associated with the development of new efficient targeted therapies is the failure of commonly used assays to simulate the exact biological outcome of drug exposure3. Cancer drug discovery still mostly relies on testing the efficacy of therapeutic agents in cancer cell lines cultured in 2D monolayer cultures, which are difficult to validate in clinical trials4. Therefore, there is a growing interest to develop better cancer models that better mimic the native features of tumors in vivo5. In recent years, an increasing interest in 3D culture models resulted in the development of improved methodologies to produce 3D tumor models5.
Here, we present an approach with three different 3D cell culture techniques allowing to improve the understanding of the potency of the hydroxycoumarin OT486 in combination with BH3 mimetics before more in depth in vivo assays. Our method consists of combining colony and SFAs with an in vivo tumor formation test based on a zebrafish model to further validate the efficacy of the combination of OT48 and BH3 mimetics in lung cancer cells and monitor cancer progression in a living organism.
Colony formation assays are routinely used to assess efficacy of anticancer agents for both solid as well as hematopoietic cancers. The assay determines the ability of a cell to proliferate indefinitely and form colonies7. The effect of an anticancer agent on the colony forming ability of cells is determined by decrease of the number and/or size of the colonies.
Spheroids represent in vitro tumor models and serve as a low-cost screening platform for anticancer agents. Spheroids are aggregates of cells growing in suspension or embedded in a 3D matrix. This approach is widely used for drug screening and studies of tumor growth, proliferation and immune interaction8.
To fully understand the properties of a new drug, it is essential to conduct in vivo experiments on rodents. However, this conventional method is expensive and time consuming. In recent years, zebrafish (Danio rerio) became a widely studied laboratory organism that is cheaper and faster to raise. Tumors developed in the zebrafish represent a 3D cell culture approach but within the in vivo setting of a vertebrate9.
Altogether, we use here three different 3D culture approaches including CFAs, SFAs and zebrafish in vivo tumor formation to demonstrate the anticancer capacity of hydroxycoumarin OT48 in a lung cancer A549 cell model in combination with BH3 mimetics.

<table><tbody><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Materials required for colony formation assays&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>A549</td><td>ATCC</td><td>CCL-185</td><td>37 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>RPMI 1640</td><td>Lonza</td><td>30096</td><td>4 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>FBS</td><td>Biowest</td><td>S1520-500</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td><td>Lonza</td><td>17-602E</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Cell culture flask T75</td><td>SPL</td><td>70075</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>PBS solution</td><td>Hyclone</td><td>SH30256.02</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>1.5ml tube</td><td>Extragene</td><td>Tube-170-C</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>15 ml tube</td><td>Hyundai Micro</td><td>H20015</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>12 well plate</td><td>SPL</td><td>30012</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>MethoCult</td><td>StemCell technologies</td><td>4230</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide (MTT powder)</td><td>Sigma</td><td>M5622</td><td>4 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>LAS4000</td><td>GE Healthcare Technologies</td><td></td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Materials required for spheroid formation assay&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>A549</td><td>ATCC</td><td>CCL-185</td><td>37 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>RPMI 1640</td><td>Lonza</td><td>30096</td><td>4 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>FBS</td><td>Biowest</td><td>S1520-500</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Penicillin-streptomycin</td><td>Lonza</td><td>17-602E</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Cell culture flask T75</td><td>SPL</td><td>70075</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>PBS solution</td><td>Hyclone</td><td>SH30256.02</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Trypsin-EDTA</td><td>Gibco</td><td>25-300-054</td><td>4 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Corning costar ultra low attachemnt 96 well plate</td><td>Corning</td><td>3474</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Microscopy</td><td>Nikon</td><td>Eclipse TS100</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Materials required for zebrafish xenografts&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>A549</td><td>ATCC</td><td>CCL-185</td><td>37 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>RPMI 1640</td><td>Lonza</td><td>30096</td><td>4 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>FBS</td><td>Biowest</td><td>S1520-500</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Penicillin-streptomycin</td><td>Lonza</td><td>17-602E</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Cell culture flask T25</td><td>SPL</td><td>70025</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Cell culture flask T75</td><td>SPL</td><td>70075</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Cell culture flask T175</td><td>SPL</td><td>71175</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>1.5ml tube</td><td>Extragene</td><td>Tube-170-C</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>24 well plate</td><td>SPL</td><td>30024</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Petridish</td><td>SPL</td><td>10100</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>PBS solution</td><td>Hyclone</td><td>SH30256.02</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Trypsin-EDTA</td><td>Gibco</td><td>25-300-054</td><td>4 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Sodium Chloride</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>71382</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Potassium chloride (KCL)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>P9541</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (MgSO4.7H2O)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>M2773</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (Ca(NO3)2)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>C1396</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>HEPES solution</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>H0887</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Ethyl 3-aminobenzoate methanesulfonate (Tricaine)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>E10521</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Phenol Red solution</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>P0290</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Methylcellulose</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>M0512</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>P7629</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>CM-Dil dye</td><td>Invitrogen</td><td>C7001</td><td>-20 C&amp;deg;</td></tr><tr><td>Glass capillary</td><td>World Precision Instruments</td><td>TW 100F-4</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Micropipette puller</td><td>Shutter instrument, USA</td><td>P-97</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Micro injector</td><td>World Precision Instruments</td><td>PV820</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Syringe</td><td>KOVAX</td><td>1ml</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Micro loader</td><td>Eppendorf</td><td>5242956003</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Glass slide</td><td>Marienfeld</td><td>HSU-1000612</td><td>RT</td></tr><tr><td>Fluorescence microscopy</td><td>Leica</td><td>DE/DM 5000B</td><td>RT</td></tr></tbody></table>

preclinical assessment of the bioactivity of the anticancer coumarin ot48 by spheroids, colony formation assays, and zebrafish xenografts

In vitro and in vivo pre-clinical screening of novel therapeutic agents are an essential tool in cancer drug discovery. Although human cancer cell lines respond to therapeutic compounds in 2D (dimensional) monolayer cell cultures, 3D culture systems were developed to understand the efficacy of drugs in more physiologically relevant models. In recent years, a paradigm shift was observed in pre-clinical research to validate the potency of new molecules in 3D culture systems, more precisely mimicking the tumor microenvironment. These systems characterize the disease state in a more physiologically relevant manner and help to gain better mechanistic insight and understanding of the pharmacological potency of a given molecule. Moreover, with the current trend in improving in vivo cancer models, zebrafish has emerged as an important vertebrate model to assess in vivo tumor formation and study the effect of therapeutic agents. Here, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of hydroxycoumarin OT48 alone or in combination with BH3 mimetics in lung cancer cell line A549 by using three different 3D culture systems including colony formation assays (CFA), spheroid formation assay (SFA) and in vivo zebrafish xenografts.

In Figure 2, lung cancer cell line A549 was seeded in MCBM to form colonies after treatment with OT48 alone or in combination with BH3 mimetic A1210477 at the indicated concentrations. The results showed that the combination significantly reduced number, size and total surface area of the colonies after 10 days of incubation.
In Figure 3, A549 cells were treated with OT...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preclinical Assessment of the Bioactivity of the Anticancer Coumarin OT48 by Spheroids, Colony Formation Assays, and Zebrafish Xenografts at JoVE.com

Preclinical Assessment of the Bioactivity of the Anticancer Coumarin OT48 by Spheroids, Colony Formation Assays, and Zebrafish Xenografts

Here, we present the preclinical screening of anticancer coumarins using 3D culture and zebrafish.

In vitro and in vivo pre-clinical screening of novel therapeutic agents are an essential tool in cancer drug discovery. Although human cancer cell lines ...

preclinical-assessment-bioactivity-anticancer-coumarin-ot48-spheroids

Universidad San Sebastian

Research

JoVE Journal

Cancer Research

8.3K Views.  Seoul National University. Here, we present the preclinical screening of anticancer coumarins using 3D culture and zebrafish.

Video: Preclinical Assessment of the Bioactivity of the Anticancer Coumarin OT48 by Spheroids, Colony Formation Assays, and Zebrafish Xenografts

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay

Titanium (IV) and vanadium (V) complexes are highly potent anticancer agents. A challenge in their synthesis refers to their hydrolytic instability; therefore their preparation should be conducted under an inert atmosphere. Evaluation of the anticancer activity of these complexes can be achieved by the MTT assay.
The MTT assay is a colorimetric viability assay based on enzymatic reduction of the MTT molecule to formazan when it is exposed to viable cells. The outcome of the reduction is a color change of the MTT molecule. Absorbance measurements relative to a control determine the percentage of remaining viable cancer cells following their treatment with varying concentrations of a tested compound, which is translated to the compound anticancer activity and its IC50 values. The MTT assay is widely common in cytotoxicity studies due to its accuracy, rapidity, and relative simplicity.
Herein we present a detailed protocol for the synthesis of air sensitive metal based drugs and cell viability measurements, including preparation of the cell plates, incubation of the compounds with the cells, viability measurements using the MTT assay, and determination of IC50 values.

A method for synthesis of air-sensitive titanium and vanadium anticancer agents is described, along with the evaluation of their cytotoxic activity towards human cancer cell line by the MTT Assay.

Titanium (IV) and vanadium (V) complexes are highly potent anticancer agents. A challenge in their synthesis refers to their hydrolytic instability; ...

Chemistry

Sample Extraction and Simultaneous Chromatographic Quantitation of Doxorubicin and Mitomycin C Following Drug Combination Delivery in Nanoparticles to Tumor-bearing Mice

Combination chemotherapy is frequently used in the clinic for cancer treatment; however, associated adverse effects to normal tissue may limit its therapeutic benefit. Nanoparticle-based drug combination has been shown to mitigate the problems encountered by free drug combination therapy. Our previous studies have shown that the combination of two anticancer drugs, doxorubicin (DOX) and mitomycin C (MMC), produced a synergistic effect against both murine and human breast cancer cells in vitro. DOX and MMC co-loaded polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles (DMPLN) bypassed various efflux transporter pumps that confer multidrug resistance and demonstrated enhanced efficacy in breast tumor models. Compared to conventional solution forms, such superior efficacy of DMPLN was attributed to the synchronized pharmacokinetics of DOX and MMC and increased intracellular drug bioavailability within tumor cells enabled by the nanocarrier PLN. 
To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and bio-distribution of co-administered DOX and MMC in both free solution and nanoparticle forms, a simple and efficient multi-drug analysis method using reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. In contrast to previously reported methods that analyzed DOX or MMC individually in the plasma, this new HPLC method is able to simultaneously quantitate DOX, MMC and a major cardio-toxic DOX metabolite, doxorubicinol (DOXol), in various biological matrices (e.g., whole blood, breast tumor, and heart). A dual fluorescent and ultraviolet absorbent probe 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) was used as an internal standard (I.S.) for one-step detection of multiple drug analysis with different detection wavelengths. This method was successfully applied to determine the concentrations of DOX and MMC delivered by both nanoparticle and solution approaches in whole blood and various tissues in an orthotopic breast tumor murine model. The analytical method presented is a useful tool for pre-clinical analysis of nanoparticle-based delivery of drug combinations.

This protocol describes an efficient and convenient analytical process of sample extraction and simultaneous determination of multiple drugs, doxorubicin (DOX), mitomycin C (MMC) and a cardio-toxic DOX metabolite, doxorubicinol (DOXol), in the biological samples from a preclinical breast tumor model treated with nanoparticle formulations of synergistic drug combination.

Combination chemotherapy is frequently used in the clinic for cancer treatment; however, associated adverse effects to normal tissue may limit its ...

Mass Spectrometry and Luminogenic-based Approaches to Characterize Phase I Metabolic Competency of In Vitro Cell Cultures

Xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes play a key function in the biotransformation of medicines and toxicants by adding functional groups that increase solubility and facilitate excretion. On some occasions those structural modifications lead to the formation of new toxic products. In order to reduce animal testing, chemical risk can be assessed using metabolically competent cells. The expression of metabolic enzymes, however, is not stable over time in many in vitro primary culture systems and is often partial or absent in cell lines. Therefore, the study of medicines, additives, and environmental pollutants metabolism in vitro should ideally be conducted in cell systems where metabolic activity has been characterized. We explain here an approach to measure the activity of a class of metabolic enzymes (Human Phase I) in 2D cell lines and primary 3D cultures using chemical probes and their metabolic products quantifiable by UPLC mass spectrometry and luminometry. The method can be implemented to test the metabolic activity in cell lines and primary cells derived from a variety of tissues.

Mass Spectrometry and Luminogenic-based Approaches to Characterize Phase I Metabolic Competency of In Vitro Cell Cultures

Metabolic competency of in vitro systems is a key requirement for the biotransformation and disposition of drugs and toxicants. In this protocol, we describe the application of reference metabolic probes to assess phase I metabolism in cell cultures.

Xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes play a key function in the biotransformation of medicines and toxicants by adding functional groups that increase ...

Biochemistry

Formation of Covalent DNA Adducts by Enzymatically Activated Carcinogens and Drugs In Vitro and Their Determination by 32P-postlabeling

Covalent DNA adducts formed by chemicals or drugs with carcinogenic potency are judged as one of the most important factors in the initiation phase of carcinogenic processes. This covalent binding, which is considered the cause of tumorigenesis, is now evaluated as a central dogma of chemical carcinogenesis. Here, methods are described employing the reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450 and additional biotransformation enzymes to investigate the potency of chemicals or drugs for their activation to metabolites forming these DNA adducts. Procedures are presented describing the isolation of cellular fractions possessing biotransformation enzymes (microsomal and cytosolic samples with cytochromes P450 or other biotransformation enzymes, i.e., peroxidases, NADPH:cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, or xanthine oxidase). Furthermore, methods are described that can be used for the metabolic activation of analyzed chemicals by these enzymes as well as those for isolation of DNA. Further, the appropriate methods capable of detecting and quantifying chemical/drug-derived DNA adducts, i.e., different modifications of the 32P-postlabeling technique and employment of radioactive-labeled analyzed chemicals, are shown in detail.

Formation of Covalent DNA Adducts by Enzymatically Activated Carcinogens and Drugs In Vitro and Their Determination by 32P-postlabeling

Evaluating the potency of environmental chemicals and drugs, to be enzymatically bioactivated to intermediates generating covalent DNA adducts, is an important field in the development of cancer and its treatment. Methods are described for compound activation to form DNA adducts, as well as techniques for their detection and quantification.

Covalent DNA adducts formed by chemicals or drugs with carcinogenic potency are judged as one of the most important factors in the initiation phase of ...

High-Throughput In Vitro Assay using Patient-Derived Tumor Organoids

Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDOs) are expected to be a preclinical cancer model with better reproducibility of disease than traditional cell culture models. PDOs have been successfully generated from a variety of human tumors to recapitulate the architecture and function of tumor tissue accurately and efficiently. However, PDOs are unsuitable for an in vitro high-throughput assay system (HTS) or cell analysis using 96-well or 384-well plates when evaluating anticancer drugs because they are heterogeneous in size and form large clusters in culture. These cultures and assays use extracellular matrices, such as Matrigel, to create tumor tissue scaffolds. Therefore, PDOs have a low throughput and high cost, and it has been difficult to develop a suitable assay system. To address this issue, a simpler and more accurate HTS was established using PDOs to evaluate the potency of anticancer drugs and immunotherapy. An in vitro HTS was created that uses PDOs established from solid tumors cultured in 384-well plates. An HTS was also developed for assessment of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity to represent the immune response using PDOs cultured in 96-well plates.

High-Throughput In Vitro Assay using Patient-Derived Tumor Organoids

A highly accurate in vitro high-throughput assay system was developed to evaluate anticancer drugs using patient-derived tumor organoids (PDOs), similar to cancer tissues but are unsuitable for in vitro high-throughput assay systems with 96-well and 384-well plates.

Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDOs) are expected to be a preclinical cancer model with better reproducibility of disease than traditional cell culture ...

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

Due to the high level of heterogeneity and mutations inherent in human cancers, single agent therapies, or combination regimens which target the same pathway, are likely to fail. Emphasis must be placed upon the inhibition of pathways that are responsible for intrinsic and/or adaptive resistance to therapy. An active field of investigation is the development and testing of DNA repair inhibitors that promote the action of, and prevent resistance to, commonly used chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We used a novel protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of BRCA2 inhibition as a means to sensitize tumor cells to the DNA damaging drug cisplatin. Tumor cell metabolism (acidification and respiration) was monitored in real-time for a period of 72 hr to delineate treatment effectiveness on a minute by minute basis. In combination, we performed an assessment of metastatic frequency using a chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model of extravasation and invasion. This protocol addresses some of the weaknesses of commonly used in vitro and in vivo methods to evaluate novel cancer therapy regimens. It can be used in addition to common methods such as cell proliferation assays, cell death assays, and in vivo murine xenograft studies, to more closely discriminate amongst candidate targets and agents, and select only the most promising candidates for further development.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

Here, real-time monitoring of tumor cell metabolism, combined with an in vivo chicken embryo chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) model of metastasis, are used to evaluate novel anti-cancer targets/agents for their ability to sensitize tumor cells to DNA damaging chemotherapeutics.

Due to the high level of heterogeneity and mutations inherent in human cancers, single agent therapies, or combination regimens which target the same ...

Medicine

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Photocontrolled Biologically Active Compounds - Potential Drug Candidates for Cancer Photopharmacology

Photocontrolled, biologically active compounds are an emerging class of &#34;smart&#34; drug candidates. They provide additional safety in systemic chemotherapy due to their precise spatiotemporal activation by directing a benign, non-ionizable light to a specific location within the patient&#39;s body. This paper presents a set of methods to evaluate the in vitro potency and ex vivo efficiency of the photoactivation of photocontrolled, biologically active compounds as well as the in vivo efficacy at early stages of drug development. The methodology is applied to anticancer cytotoxic peptides, namely, the diarylethene-containing analogs of a known antibiotic, gramicidin S. The experiments are performed using 2D (adherent cells) and 3D (spheroids) cell cultures of a cancer cell line (Lewis lung carcinoma, LLC), live tissue surrogates (pork meat mince), and an allograft cancer model (subcutaneous LLC) in immunocompetent mice. The selection of the most effective compounds and estimation of realistic phototherapeutic windows are performed via automated fluorescence microscopy. The photoactivation efficiency at varying illumination regimens is determined at different depths in a model tissue, and the optimal light dosage is applied in the final therapeutic in vivo experiment.

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Photocontrolled Biologically Active Compounds - Potential Drug Candidates for Cancer Photopharmacology

This protocol presents a set of experiments adopted for the evaluation of photoswitchable anticancer peptides, that can be used in the preclinical screening of such compounds. This includes cytotoxicity assessment in 2D and 3D cell cultures, the evaluation of ex vivo (model tissue) photoisomerization efficiency, and in vivo efficacy.

Photocontrolled, biologically active compounds are an emerging class of &#34;smart&#34; drug candidates. They provide additional safety in systemic ...

Utilization of the Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay to Identify Inhibitors of Tumorigenicity in Breast Cancer Cells

Given the inherent difficulties in investigating the mechanisms of tumor progression in vivo, cell-based assays such as the soft agar colony formation assay (hereafter called soft agar assay), which measures the ability of cells to proliferate in semi-solid matrices, remain a hallmark of cancer research. A key advantage of this technique over conventional 2D monolayer or 3D spheroid cell culture assays is the close mimicry of the 3D cellular environment to that seen in vivo. Importantly, the soft agar assay also provides an ideal tool to rigorously test the effects of novel compounds or treatment conditions on cell proliferation and migration. Additionally, this assay enables the quantitative assessment of cell transformation potential within the context of genetic perturbations. We recently identified peptidylarginine deiminase 2 (PADI2) as a potential breast cancer biomarker and therapeutic target. Here we highlight the utility of the soft agar assay for preclinical anti-cancer studies by testing the effects of the PADI inhibitor, BB-Cl-amidine (BB-CLA), on the tumorigenicity of human ductal carcinoma in situ (MCF10DCIS) cells.

Here, we document the use of the soft agar colony formation assay to test the effects of a peptidylarginine deiminase (PADI) enzyme inhibitor, BB-Cl-amidine, on breast cancer tumorigenicity in vitro.

Given the inherent difficulties in investigating the mechanisms of tumor progression in vivo, cell-based assays such as the soft agar colony formation ...

Chick Heart Invasion Assay for Testing the Invasiveness of Cancer Cells and the Activity of Potentially Anti-invasive Compounds

The goal of the chick heart assay is to offer a relevant organ culture method to study tumor invasion in three dimensions. The assay can distinguish between invasive and non-invasive cells, and enables study of the effects of test compounds on tumor invasion. Cancer cells - either as aggregates or single cells - are confronted with fragments of embryonic chick heart. After organ culture in suspension for a few days or weeks the confronting cultures are fixed and embedded in paraffin for histological analysis. The three-dimensional interaction between the cancer cells and the normal tissue is then reconstructed from serial sections stained with hematoxylin-eosin or after immunohistochemical staining for epitopes in the heart tissue or the confronting cancer cells. The assay is consistent with the recent concept that cancer invasion is the result of molecular interactions between the cancer cells and their neighbouring stromal host elements (myofibroblasts, endothelial cells, extracellular matrix components, etc.). Here, this stromal environment is offered to the cancer cells as a living tissue fragment. Supporting aspects to the relevance of the assay are multiple. Invasion in the assay is in accordance with the criteria of cancer invasion: progressive occupation and replacement in time and space of the host tissue, and invasiveness and non-invasiveness in vivo of the confronting cells generally correlates with the outcome of the assay. Furthermore, the invasion pattern of cells in vivo, as defined by pathologists, is reflected in the histological images in the assay. Quantitative structure-activity relation (QSAR) analysis of the results obtained with numerous potentially anti-invasive organic congener compounds allowed the study of structure-activity relations for flavonoids and chalcones, and known anti-metastatic drugs used in the clinic (e.g., microtubule inhibitors) inhibit invasion in the assay as well. However, the assay does not take into account immunological contributions to cancer invasion.

Here, we present a protocol to study the invasion of tumor cells into living normal tissue fragments in three dimensions. This organ culture technique is mainly applied to test potentially anti-invasive drugs in vitro.

The goal of the chick heart assay is to offer a relevant organ culture method to study tumor invasion in three dimensions. The assay can distinguish ...

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHC)

Cigarette smoke (CS) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and lung diseases. Because CS is a complex aerosol containing more than 7,000 chemicals1 it is challenging to assess the contributions of individual constituents to its overall toxicity. Toxicological profiles of individual constituents as well as mixtures can be however established in vitro, by applying high through-put screening tools, which enable the profiling of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHCs) of tobacco smoke, as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).2
For an initial assessment, an impedance-based instrument was used for a real-time, label-free assessment of the compound&#39;s toxicity. The instrument readout relies on cell adhesion, viability and morphology that all together provide an overview of the cell status. A dimensionless parameter, named cell index, is used for quantification. A set of different staining protocols was developed for a fluorescence imaging-based investigation and a HCS platform was used to gain more in-depth information on the kind of cytotoxicity elicited by each HPHC.
Of the 15 constituents tested, only five were selected for HCS-based analysis as they registered a computable LD50 (&#60; 20 mM). These included 1-aminonaphtalene, Arsenic (V), Chromium (VI), Crotonaldehyde and Phenol. Based on their effect in the HCS, 1-aminonaphtalene and Phenol could be identified to induce mitochondrial dysfunction, and, together with Chromium (VI) as genotoxic based on the increased histone H2AX phosphorylation. Crotonaldehyde was identified as an oxidative stress inducer and Arsenic as a stress kinase pathway activator.
This study demonstrates that a combination of impedance-based and HCS technologies provides a robust tool for in vitro assessment of CS constituents.

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents HPHC

The objective of the study was to assess the biological impact of 15 cigarette smoke constituents using a combination of an impedance-based real time cell analyzer and a high-content screening (HCS)-based platform for toxicological assessment in vitro. This study provides information on effective doses, toxicity and modes of action of the tested compounds.

Cigarette smoke (CS) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and lung diseases. Because CS is a complex aerosol containing more than 7,000 chemicals1 it ...

Preclinical Assessment of the Bioactivity of the Anticancer Coumarin OT48 by Spheroids, Colony Formation Assays, and Zebrafish Xenografts

Summary

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Chapters in this video

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay

Sample Extraction and Simultaneous Chromatographic Quantitation of Doxorubicin and Mitomycin C Following Drug Combination Delivery in Nanoparticles to Tumor-bearing Mice

Mass Spectrometry and Luminogenic-based Approaches to Characterize Phase I Metabolic Competency of In Vitro Cell Cultures

Formation of Covalent DNA Adducts by Enzymatically Activated Carcinogens and Drugs In Vitro and Their Determination by ³²P-postlabeling

High-Throughput In Vitro Assay using Patient-Derived Tumor Organoids

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Photocontrolled Biologically Active Compounds - Potential Drug Candidates for Cancer Photopharmacology

Utilization of the Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay to Identify Inhibitors of Tumorigenicity in Breast Cancer Cells

Chick Heart Invasion Assay for Testing the Invasiveness of Cancer Cells and the Activity of Potentially Anti-invasive Compounds

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHC)