Losartan Alleviates the Side Effects and Maintains the Anticancer Activity of Axitinib.

Abstract

Axitinib is one of the most potent inhibitors of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor and shows strong antitumor activity toward various malignant tumors. However, its severe side effects affect the quality of life and prognosis of patients. Losartan, which functions as a typical angiotensin receptor blocker, controls the average arterial pressure of patients with essential hypertension and protects against hypertension-related secondary diseases, including proteinuria and cardiovascular injury. To explore the effects of losartan on side effects caused by axitinib and its antitumor activity, several animal experiments were conducted. This study first analyzed and explored the effect of losartan on the amelioration of side effects in Wistar rats caused by axitinib. The results showed that the systolic blood pressure of Wistar rats was significantly increased by about 30 mmHg in 7 days of axitinib treatment, while the combination of losartan significantly reduced the blood pressure rise caused by axitinib. The Miles experimental model and mouse xenograft tumor model were further used to evaluate the effect of losartan on the antitumor effect of axitinib. The result clearly demonstrated that losartan has no significant influence on axitinib-related low vascular permeability and antitumor activity. In summary, our results showed that the combination of axitinib and losartan significantly reduced the side effects and maintained the antitumor effects of axitinib. This study provides information for overcoming VEGF receptor inhibitor-related side effects.

• Authors: Ying Fu, Rengui Saxu, Kadir Ahmad Ridwan, Jiaping Yao, Xiaoxuan Chen, Xueping Xu, Weida Zheng, Peng Yu, Yuou Teng
• Journal: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (Molecules) Vol. 27 Issue 9 (Apr 26 2022) ISSN: 1420-3049 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 35566115 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
• Axitinib
• Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
• Losartan

Topics

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors (pharmacology)
• Animals
• Axitinib (pharmacology)
• Blood Pressure
• Humans
• Hypertension (chemically induced, drug therapy)
• Losartan (pharmacology)
• Mice
• Quality of Life
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (metabolism)