Description | Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by limited response to current
drug therapies. Here, we report that SC66, a novel AKT inhibitor, reduced cell viability
in a dose- and time-dependent manner, inhibited colony formation and induced
apoptosis in HCC cells. SC66 treatment led to a reduction in total and phosphoAKT levels. This was associated with alterations in cytoskeleton organization, a
reduction in expression levels of E-cadherin, β-catenin and phospho-FAK, together
with up-regulation of Snail protein levels. All these alterations were coupled with
anoikis cell death induction. In addition, SC66 induced the production of reactive
oxygen species (ROS) and DNA damage. Pre-treatment with the ROS scavenger
N-Acetyl-cysteine (NAC) prevented SC66-induced cell growth inhibition and anoikis.
SC66 significantly potentiated the effects of both conventional chemotherapeutic and
targeted agents, doxorubicin and everolimus, respectively. In vivo, SC66 inhibited
tumor growth of Hep3B cells in xenograft models, with a similar mechanism observed
in the in vitro model. Taken together, these data indicate that the AKT inhibitor SC66
had antitumor effects on HCC cells. This was mediated by ROS production, induction
of anoikis-mediated cell death and inhibition of the AKT cell survival pathway. Our
results provide a rational basis for the use of SC66 in HCC treatment. | en_US |