Perifosine, an Oral Bioactive Novel Akt Inhibitor, Induces In Vitro and In Vivo Antitumor Activity in Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.

Background: Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) is a low-grade lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with limited options of therapy. The PI3k/Akt pathway is a critical regulator of cell survival. Our previous studies using proteomic analysis have demonstrated upregulation of members of the PI3k/Akt pathway in WM. We examined whether the new Akt inhibitor perifosine (NSC 639966; Keryx, NY) induces cytotoxicity in WM.

Methods: WM cell lines (BCWM1 and WSU-WM) and IgM secreting low-grade lymphoma cell lines (MEC1, RL) were used. Primary CD19+ malignant cells were obtained from patients after informed consent. Inhibition of proliferation was measured using the MTT assay; DNA synthesis was measured using the thymidine uptake assay and apoptosis using Apo2.7 flow cytometry. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) confer growth and resistance to conventional treatments. We therefore, tested the effect of perifosine on WM cells co-cultured with BMSC. Immunoblotting for signaling pathways was performed at different time (30 minutes to 16 hrs) and doses of therapy. In vivo activity of perifosine was assessed using a SCID-irradiated model with subcutaneous tumors in which perifosine was administered by oral gavage daily (35 mg/kg/day). A two-sided t-test was used to determine statistical differences.

Results: Perifosine inhibited phosphorylation of Akt in a dose- and time- dependent fashion, as well as downstream GSK3a/b and ribosomal phospho-S6. Perifosine inhibited Akt activity as confirmed by Akt kinase assay. Perifosine induced significant cytotoxicity and inhibition of DNA synthesis with an IC50 of 5-20uM in all cell lines tested. Similar effects were observed in primary CD19+ patient WM cells. Perifosine induced apoptosis in WM cells as demonstrated by flow cytometry. The mechanism of apoptosis induced by perifosine was through activation of SAPK/JNK pathway, followed by caspase-8, -9 and PARP cleavage. The JNK inhibitor SP600125 abrogated perifosine-induced apoptosis. The growth inhibitory effects of perifosine were significant even in the presence of BMSC, IL-6 and IGF-1, which induce resistance to conventional therapies. Importantly, perifosine did not induce cytotoxicity in healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells or in hematopietic stem cells in a methylcellulose colony forming cell assay, indicating lack of toxicity on normal cells. Interestingly, MAPK members such as MEK/ERK were activated by perifosine. The MEK inhibitor U0126 significantly enhanced perifosine-induced cytotoxicity in WM cells, indicating that this combination may be synergistic in vivo. Finally, perifosine induced significant reduction in WM tumor growth in vivo, as compared to control cohort treated with vehicle only at week 6 (p=0.05).

Conclusion: Perifosine has significant antitumor activity in WM both in vitro and in vivo. These results provide the framework for clinical evaluation of perifosine in WM. Supported in part by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Lymphoma Research Foundation and an American Society of Hematology Scholar Award. * XL and XJ are co-first authors.