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Ambrisentan, an endothelin receptor type A-selective antagonist, inhibits cancer cell migration, invasion, and metastasis

  • Lucy Kappes
  • , Ruba L. Amer
  • , Sabine Sommerlatte
  • , Ghada Bashir
  • , Corinna Plattfaut
  • , Frank Gieseler
  • , Timo Gemoll
  • , Hauke Busch
  • , Abeer Altahrawi
  • , Ashraf Al-Sbiei
  • , Shoja M. Haneefa
  • , Kholoud Arafat
  • , Lena F. Schimke
  • , Nadia El Khawanky
  • , Kai Schulze-Forster
  • , Harald Heidecke
  • , Anja Kerstein-Staehle
  • , Gabriele Marschner
  • , Silke Pitann
  • , Hans D. Ochs
  • Antje Mueller, Samir Attoub, Maria J. Fernandez-Cabezudo, Gabriela Riemekasten, Basel K. al-Ramadi, Otavio Cabral-Marques

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Several studies reported a central role of the endothelin type A receptor (ETAR) in tumor progression leading to the formation of metastasis. Here, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effects of the FDA-approved ETAR antagonist, Ambrisentan, which is currently used to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. In vitro, Ambrisentan inhibited both spontaneous and induced migration/invasion capacity of different tumor cells (COLO-357 metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, OvCar3 ovarian carcinoma, MDA-MB-231 breast adenocarcinoma, and HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia). Whole transcriptome analysis using RNAseq indicated Ambrisentan’s inhibitory effects on the whole transcriptome of resting and PAR2-activated COLO-357 cells, which tended to normalize to an unstimulated profile. Finally, in a pre-clinical murine model of metastatic breast cancer, treatment with Ambrisentan was effective in decreasing metastasis into the lungs and liver. Importantly, this was associated with a significant enhancement in animal survival. Taken together, our work suggests a new therapeutic application for Ambrisentan in the treatment of cancer metastasis.

Original languageEnglish
Article number15931
JournalScientific reports
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 1 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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