In vitro and in vivo characterization of stem-like cells from canine osteosarcoma and assessment of drug sensitivity.

Abstract

Cancer stem cell (CSC) self-renewing and drug resistance cause treatment failure and tumor recurrence. Osteosarcoma is an aggressive bone tumor characterized by biological and molecular heterogeneity, possibly dependent on CSCs. CSC identification in osteosarcoma and their efficient targeting are still open questions. Spontaneous canine osteosarcoma shares clinical and biological features with the human tumors, representing a model for translational studies. We characterized three CSC-enriched canine osteosarcoma cultures. In serum-free conditions, these CSC cultures grow as anchorage-independent spheroids, show mesenchymal-like properties and in vivo tumorigenicity, recapitulating the heterogeneity of the original osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma CSCs express stem-related factors (Sox2, Oct4, CD133) and chemokine receptors and ligands (CXCR4, CXCL12) involved in tumor proliferation and self-renewal. Standard drugs for osteosarcoma treatment (doxorubicin and cisplatin) affected CSC-enriched and parental primary cultures, showing different efficacy within tumors. Moreover, metformin, a type-2 diabetes drug, significantly inhibits osteosarcoma CSC viability, migration and self-renewal and, in co-treatment with doxorubicin and cisplatin, enhances drug cytotoxicity. Collectively, we demonstrate that canine osteosarcoma primary cultures contain CSCs exhibiting distinctive sensitivity to anticancer agents, as a reliable experimental model to assay drug efficacy. We also provide proof-of-principle of metformin efficacy, alone or in combination, as pharmacological strategy to target osteosarcoma CSCs.

• Authors: Monica Gatti, Agnese Solari, Alessandra Pattarozzi, Chiara Campanella, Stefano Thellung, Lorella Maniscalco, Raffaella De Maria, Roberto Würth, Alessandro Corsaro, Adriana Bajetto, Alessandra Ratto, Angelo Ferrari, Antonio Daga, Federica Barbieri, Tullio Florio
• Journal: Experimental cell research (Exp Cell Res) Vol. 363 Issue 1 Pg. 48-64 (02 01 2018) ISSN: 1090-2422 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 29305964 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Metformin

Topics

• Animals
• Antineoplastic Agents (pharmacology)
• Bone Neoplasms (drug therapy, pathology)
• Cell Cycle (drug effects)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Movement (drug effects)
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Dogs
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm (drug effects)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic (drug effects)
• Metformin (pharmacology)
• Neoplastic Stem Cells (drug effects, metabolism)
• Osteosarcoma (drug therapy, pathology)