PRT4165 nanocomposite promoting epigenetic retardation through proteasomal depletion of polycomb in acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract The polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) protein, Bmi1 is overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia and mediates histone H2A monoubiquitination through its ubiquitin (E3) ligase activity. The 2-pyridine-3-yl-methylene-indan-1,3-dione (PRT4165) inhibits PRC1-mediated H2A monoubiquitination but the poor aqueous solubility, and physiological instability limit its application. In current study, the encapsulation of PRT4165 in human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSANPs) improved its therapeutic efficacy as evident through the enhanced apoptosis, sub-G1 cell cycle arrest, depolarized mitochondrial membrane, reactive oxygen species generation and caspase 3 activation. The nanoformulation repressed Bmi1 through ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) and regulated H2AK119 ubiquitination in AML cells. Co-immunoprecipitation studies revealed the direct interaction of Bmi1 and C-Myb, a crucial regulator of AML pathogenesis. Moreover, PRT4165 encapsulated HSANPs showed improved in vivo biodistribution, better dispersibility and biocompatibility, and exhibited enhanced suppression of leukemia stem cell marker, CD45+ and activation of myeloid monocytes differentiation marker, CD11b+ in AML xenograft mouse model.