Due to an unfavorable prognosis using the usual
therapy, patients with
anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) are in desperate need of new therapeutic strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of
MLN8054, an inhibitor of the Aurora
serine/threonine kinases, on ATC cells in vitro and on ATC xenografts as a new therapeutic strategy for ATC. Three anaplastic (Hth74, C643, Kat4) and one follicular (FTC133)
thyroid cancer cell lines were evaluated in vitro and Kat4 xenografts in vivo. The antiproliferative effect of
MLN8054 (0.1-10 μM) on
thyroid cancer cells was quantified by
sulphorhodamine B-assay. The proapoptotic effect and the effects on the cell cycle were evaluated by flow cytometry after
Annexin-V-FITC staining. Further
Histone H3 phosphorylation was analysed. In vivo, antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effects were assessed by
tumor volume and morphometric analysis following immunohistochemical staining (Ki-67, pHisH3, CD31). Treatment of the different TC cells with
MLN8054 inhibited proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, with IC(50) values between 0.1 and 10 μM. Administration of
MLN8054 resulted in an increase of apoptotic cells, decreased
Histone H3 phosphorylation and induced cell cycle arrest. In vivo, treatment of ATC by
MLN8054 resulted in an up to 86% reduced
tumor volume and 89% reduced
tumor vascularity. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that
Aurora kinase inhibition is effective in reducing cell growth and inducing apoptosis of ATC in vitro and
tumor growth and vascularity in vivo. Controlled clinical studies on
MLN8054 or comparable compounds would be worthwhile to evaluate its potential therapeutic value for treatment of ATC.