Synergistic antitumor effect of MK-1775 and CUDC-907 against prostate cancer.

Abstract

Due to the emergence of drug resistance, androgen receptor (AR)-targeted drugs still pose great challenges in the treatment of prostate cancer, and it is urgent to explore an innovative therapeutic strategy. MK-1775, a highly selective WEE1 inhibitor, is shown to have favorable therapeutic benefits in several solid tumor models. Recent evidence suggests that the combination of MK-1775 with DNA-damaging agents could lead to enhanced antitumor efficacy. Here, our results demonstrate that MK-1775 alone could indeed inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in prostate cancer. Moreover, the combination of MK-1775 and a dual PI3K and HDAC inhibitor, CUDC-907, can synergistically inhibit cell proliferation and dramatically induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. This effect is partially mediated by DNA damage, resulting from the downregulation of DNA damage response (DDR) proteins such as CDK, CHK, and RRM1/2. Notably, the combination of MK-1775 and CUDC-907 leads to significant antitumor effects in vivo. Our findings provide a strong basis for a promising combination strategy against prostate cancer.