19-nor-14-epi-23-yne-1,25(OH)(2) D(3) (
inecalcitol) is a unique
vitamin D(3) analog. We evaluated the activity of
inecalcitol in a human
prostate cancer model system. The analog was 11-fold more potent than
1,25(OH)(2) D(3) in causing 50% clonal growth inhibition of
androgen-sensitive human
prostate cancer LNCaP cells.
Inecalcitol, more than
1,25(OH)(2) D(3) , reduced in a dose-dependent manner the expression levels of the
transcription factor ETS variant 1 and the
serine/threonine protein kinase Pim-1, both of which are upregulated in
prostate cancer. Remarkably, dose challenge experiments revealed that
inecalcitol maximal tolerated dose (MTD) by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration was 30 μg/mouse (1,300 μg/kg) three times per week, while we previously found that the MTD of
1,25(OH)(2) D(3) is 0.0625 μg/mouse; therefore,
inecalcitol is 480 times less hypercalcemic than
1,25(OH)(2) D(3) . Pharmacokinetic studies showed that plasma half-life of
inecalcitol were 18.3 min in mice. A xenograft model of LNCaP cells was developed in immunodeficient mice treated with
inecalcitol. The
tumors of the diluent-treated control mice increased in size but those in the
inecalcitol treatment group did not grow. Our data suggest that
inecalcitol inhibits
androgen-responsive
prostate cancer growth in vivo and should be examined either alone or with other
chemotherapy in clinical trials in individuals with rising serum
prostate-specific antigen after receiving either surgery or irradiation
therapy with curative intent.