Pan-PI-3 kinase inhibitor SF1126 shows antitumor and antiangiogenic activity in renal cell carcinoma

Purpose SF1126 is a vascular-targeted pan-PI-3K inhibitor prodrug with antitumor and antiangiogenic activity and has completed phase I clinical trial in solid tumors and B-cell malignancies. In this study, we investigated the effect of SF1126 on hypoxic HIF-1α/HIF-2α stability as well as on antitumor and/or antiangiogenic activity in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) models in vitro and in vivo. Methods The effect of SF1126 on hypoxic HIF-1α/HIF-2α protein stability, antitumor and antiangiogenic activity was studied on VHL-null (786-0) and VHL-WT (Caki) RCC cells. Results Our data demonstrate that SF1126 treatment abrogates the stabilization of HIF-2α in 786-0 (VHL-mutated) RCC cell line under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Similarly, hypoxic stabilization of HIF-1α and its activity were also suppressed following SF1126 treatment in Caki cell line (VHL-WT). Herein, we provide mechanistic evidence that HIF-2α can be degraded in cytoplasm under hypoxic conditions via the 26S proteasome and that MDM2 is the E3 ligase which induces the hypoxic degradation of HIF-2α in PI-3K-dependent manner in VHL-deficient RCC cells. Moreover, SF1126 administered to RCC-xenografted mice at 25 mg/kg/dose subcutaneously three times per week for 3 weeks results in marked inhibition of tumor growth (>90 % inhibition) ( P