An Aminosteroid Derivative Shows Higher In Vitro and In Vivo Potencies than Gold Standard Drugs in Androgen-Dependent Prostate Cancer Models

Abstract

The aminosteroid derivative RM-581 blocks with high potency the growth of androgen-dependent (AR+) prostate cancer VCaP, 22Rv1, and LAPC-4 cells. Notably, RM-581 demonstrated superior antiproliferative activity in LAPC-4 cells compared to enzalutamide and abiraterone, two drugs that exhibited a synergistic effect in combination with RM-581. These findings suggest that RM-581 may have an action that is not directly associated with the hormonal pathway of androgens. Furthermore, RM-581 completely blocks tumor growth in LAPC-4 xenografts when given orally at 3, 10, and 30 mg/kg in non-castrated (intact) nude mice. During this study, an accumulation of RM-581 was observed in tumors compared to plasma (3.3–10 folds). Additionally, the level of fatty acids (FA) increased in the tumors and livers of mice treated with RM-581 but not in plasma. The increase was greater in unsaturated FA (21–28%) than in saturated FA (7–11%). The most affected FA were saturated palmitic acid (+16%), monounsaturated oleic acid (+34%), and di-unsaturated linoleic acid (+56%), i.e., the 3 most abundant FA, with a total of 55% of the 56 FA measured. For cholesterol levels, there was no significant difference in the tumor, liver, or plasma of mice treated or not with RM-581. Another important result was the innocuity of RM-581 in mice during a 28-day xenograft experiment and a 7-week dose-escalation study, suggesting a favorable safety window for this new promising drug candidate when given orally.