KRN5500, a Spicamycin Derivative, Exerts Anti-Myeloma Effects through Impairing Both Myeloma Cells and Osteoclasts

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy characterized by devastating bone destruction due to enhanced bone resorption and suppressed bone formation. Although high-dose chemotherapy and new agents such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib have shown marked anti-MM activity in clinical settings, MM remains incurable due to drug resistance mediated by interactions with osteoclasts or stroma cells. Moreover, osteolytic bone disease continues to be a major problem for many patients. Therefore, alternative approaches are necessary to overcome drug resistance and inhibit osteoclasts activity in MM. KRN5500 is a new derivative of spicamycin produced by Streptomyces alanosinicus (Kirin Pharma, Tokyo, Japan), which potently inhibits protein synthesis and induces cell death in human tumor cell lines. Phase I studies of KRN5500 in patients with solid tumors such as colon cancer and gastric cancer showed acceptable toxicity with Cmax values of 1000-3000 nM. In this study, we investigated the effects of KRN5500 against MM cells and osteoclasts in vitro and in vivo. MM cell lines such as RPMI 8226, MM.1S, INA-6, KMS12-BM, UTMC-2, TSPC-1, and OPC were incubated with various concentrations of KRN5500 for 3 days. Cell proliferation assay showed marked inhibition of cell growth with G1 arrest in these MM cells (IC50: 4-100 nM). KRN5500 (100 nM) also induced 30-90% of cell death in primary MM cells (n=7). Annexin V/propidium iodide staining showed that KRN5500 induced apoptosis of MM cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Western blot analysis confirmed activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and down-regulation of Mcl-1. We next examined the effect of KRN5500 against MM cell lines and primary MM cells in the presence of bone marrow stroma cells and osteoclasts. Co-culture of these cells enhanced viability of MM cells; however, KRN5500 still induced strong cytotoxicity to MM cells. Of interest, KRN5500 specifically mediated apoptosis in osteoclasts but not stroma cells as assessed by TUNEL staining. More than 90% of osteoclasts were killed even at a low concentration of KRN5500 (20 nM). Finally, we evaluated the effect of KRN5500 against MM cells and osteoclasts in vivo. Two xenograft models were established in SCID mice by either subcutaneous injection of RPMI 8226 cells or intra-bone injection of INA-6 cells into subcutaneously implanted rabbit bones (SCID-rab model). These mice were treated with intraperitoneal injection of KRN5500 (5 mg/kg/dose) or saline thrice a week for 3 weeks after tumor development. In a subcutaneous tumor model, KRN5500 inhibited the tumor growth compared with control mice (increased tumor size, 232 ± 54% vs 950 ± 422%, p<0.001, n=6 per group). In a SCID-rab model, KRN5500 also inhibited MM cell growth in the bone marrow (increase of serum human sIL6-R derived from INA-6, 134 ± 19% vs 1112 ± 101%, p<0.001, n=5 per group). Notably, the destruction of the rabbit bones was also prevented in the KRN5500-treated mice as evaluated by radiography. Therefore, these results suggest that KRN5500 exerts anti-MM effects through impairing both MM cells and osteoclasts and that this unique mechanism of action provides a valuable therapeutic option to improve the prognosis in patients with MM.