Effects of the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor CCI-779 used alone or with chemotherapy on human prostate cancer cells and xenografts

Selective inhibition of repopulation of surviving tumor cells between courses of chemotherapy might improve the outcome of treatment. A potential target for inhibiting repopulation is the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway; PTEN-negative tumor cells are particularly sensitive to inhibition of this pathway. Here we study the rapamycin analogue CCI-779, alone or with chemotherapy, as an inhibitor of proliferation of the human prostate Cancer cell lines PC-3 and DU145. The PTEN and phospho-Akt/PKB status and the effect of CCI-779 on phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 were evaluated by immunostaining and/or Western blotting. Expression of phospho-Akt/PKB in PTEN mutant PC-3 cells and xenografts was higher than in PTEN wild-type DU145 cells. Phosphorylation of S6 was inhibited by CCI-779 in both cell lines. Cultured cells were treated weekly with mitoxantrone or docetaxel for two cycles, and CCI-779 or vehicle was given between courses. Growth and clonogenic survival of both cell lines were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by CCI-779, but there were minimal effects when CCI-779 was given between courses of chemotherapy. CCI-779 inhibited the growth of xenografts derived from both cell lines with greater effects against PC-3 than DU145 tumors. CCI-779 caused mild myelosuppression. The activity of mitoxantrone or docetaxel was limited, but CCI-779 given between courses of chemotherapy increased growth delay of PC-3 xenografts. Our results suggest that repopulation of PTEN-negative Cancer cells between courses of chemotherapy might be inhibited by CCI-779.