Potent Antitumor Activity of MS-247, a Novel DNA Minor Groove Binder, Evaluated by an in Vitro and in Vivo Human Cancer Cell Line Panel

We synthesized a novel anticancer agent MS-247 (2-[[ N -[1-methyl-2-[5-[ N -[4-[ N,N -bis(2-chloroethyl) amino] phenyl]] carbamoyl]-1 H -benzimidazol-2-yl] pyrrol-4-yl] carbamoyl] ethyldimethylsulfonium di- p -toluenesulfonate) that has a netropsin-like moiety and an alkylating residue in the structure. We evaluated antitumor activity of MS-247 using a human cancer cell line panel coupled with a drug sensitivity database and subsequently using human cancer xenografts. The average MS-247 concentration required for 50% growth inhibition against a panel of 39 cell lines was 0.71 μm. The COMPARE analysis revealed that the differential growth inhibition pattern of MS-247 significantly correlated with those of camptothecin analogues and anthracyclins, indicating that MS-247 and the two drug groups might have similar modes of action. MS-247 exhibited remarkable antitumor activity against various xenografts. A single i.v. injection of MS-247 significantly inhibited the growth of all 17 xenografts tested, which included lung, colon, stomach, breast, and ovarian cancers. In many cases, MS-247 was more efficacious than cisplatin, Adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, VP-16, and vincristine and was almost comparable with paclitaxel and CPT-11; these are the most clinically promising drugs at present. MS-247 was noticeably more effective than paclitaxel (in HCT-15) and CPT-11 (in A549, HBC-4, and SK-OV-3). The toxicity of MS-247, indicated by body weight loss, was reversible within 10 days after administration. The MS-247 mode of action showed DNA binding activity at the site where Hoechst 33342 bound, inhibited topoisomerases I and II (as expected by the COMPARE analysis) blocked the cell cycle at the G 2 -M phase, and induced apoptosis. These results indicate that MS-247 is a promising new anticancer drug candidate to be developed further toward clinical trials.