Ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone, marine sponge metabolites, suppress the proliferation of multiple myeloma cells by down-regulating the level of β-catenin

Mar Drugs. 2014 May 28;12(6):3231-44. doi: 10.3390/md12063231.

Abstract

Deregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes the development of a broad range of human cancers, including multiple myeloma, and is thus a potential target for the development of therapeutics for this disease. Here, we used a cell-based reporter system to demonstrate that ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone (formerly smenorthoquinone), sesquiterpene-quinones from a marine sponge, inhibited β-catenin response transcription induced with Wnt3a-conditioned medium, by down-regulating the level of intracellular β-catenin. Pharmacological inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β did not abolish the ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone-mediated β-catenin down-regulation. Degradation of β-catenin was consistently found in RPMI-8226 multiple myeloma cells after ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone treatment. Ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone repressed the expression of cyclin D1, c-myc, and axin-2, which are β-catenin/T-cell factor-dependent genes, and inhibited the proliferation of multiple myeloma cells. In addition, ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone significantly induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in RPMI-8266 cells. These findings suggest that ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone exert their anti-cancer activity by blocking the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and have significant potential as therapies for multiple myeloma.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / isolation & purification
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Benzoquinones / isolation & purification
  • Benzoquinones / pharmacology*
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Multiple Myeloma / drug therapy*
  • Multiple Myeloma / pathology
  • Porifera / metabolism*
  • Quinones / isolation & purification
  • Quinones / pharmacology*
  • Resting Phase, Cell Cycle / drug effects
  • Sesquiterpenes / isolation & purification
  • Sesquiterpenes / pharmacology*
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway / drug effects
  • beta Catenin / genetics
  • beta Catenin / metabolism

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Benzoquinones
  • Quinones
  • Sesquiterpenes
  • beta Catenin
  • ethylsmenoquinone
  • ilimaquinone