Selective uveal melanoma inhibition with calcium channel blockade

Int J Oncol. 2019 Nov;55(5):1090-1096. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4873. Epub 2019 Sep 6.

Abstract

Uveal malignant melanoma (UMM), the most common primary adult intraocular tumor with a marked metastatic potential, is genetically unique and has unfortunately had few treatment breakthroughs. In this study, we subjected a UMM cell line to high‑throughput library screening with 1,018 FDA‑approved compounds to identify potential UMM‑selective cytotoxic agents. Amlodipine, a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (CCB), ranked no. 2 and no. 8 of the most cytotoxic compounds. Thus, we further characterized the differential effects of calcium blockade on UMM and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) lines in vitro using growth inhibition, cell cycle progression, apoptosis and senescence assays. Amlodipine had a significantly higher growth inhibitory potency in UMM (IC50=13.1 µM) than CMM (IC50=15.9 µM, P<0.05) lines. In 3D spherical cell culture, amlodipine treatment significantly impaired tissue volume growth in two UMM lines, but exerted no significant effects among all 3 CMM lines tested. Treatment with 10 and 20 µM amlodipine induced a significant impairment of cell cycle progression and the apoptosis of UMM lines, implicating both of these processes as mediators of the observed growth inhibition in UMM compared to CMM. On the whole, the findings of this study suggest that calcium channel blockade is a potentially effective strategy for selective uveal melanoma targeting.

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Calcium Channel Blockers / isolation & purification
  • Calcium Channel Blockers / pharmacology*
  • Calcium Channels / chemistry*
  • Cell Cycle
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Proliferation
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays
  • Humans
  • Melanoma / drug therapy*
  • Melanoma / metabolism
  • Melanoma / pathology
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Uveal Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Uveal Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Uveal Neoplasms / pathology

Substances

  • Calcium Channel Blockers
  • Calcium Channels
  • Calcium

Supplementary concepts

  • Uveal melanoma