Dacomitinib potentiates the efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic agents via inhibiting the drug efflux function of ABCG2 in vitro and in vivo

ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2), a member of the ABC transporter superfamily proteins, mediates multidrug resistance (MDR) by transporting substrate anticancer drugs out of cancer cells and decreasing their intracellular accumulation. MDR is a major hurdle to successful chemotherapy. A logical approach to overcome MDR is to inhibit the transporter. However, no safe and effective MDR inhibitor has been approved in the clinic.

The MTT assay was used to evaluate cell cytotoxicity and MDR reversal effect. Drug efflux and intracellular drug accumulation were measured by flow cytometry. The H460/MX20 cell xenograft model was established to evaluate the enhancement of anticancer efficacy of topotecan by dacomitinib in vivo. To ascertain the interaction of dacomitinib with the substrate binding sites of ABCG2, the competition of dacomitinib for photolabeling of ABCG2 with [¹²⁵I]- iodoarylazidoprazosin (IAAP) was performed. Vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity of ABCG2 was measured in the presence of a range of different concentrations of dacomitinib to evaluate the effect of dacomitinib on ATP hydrolysis as the energy source of the transporter. A flow cytometry-based assay and western blotting were employed to study whether dacomitininb could inhibit the expression level of ABCG2. The mRNA expression levels of ABCG2 were analyzed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. The protein expression level of AKT, ERK and their phosphorylations were detected by Western blotting.

Here, we found that dacomitinib, an irreversible pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in phase III clinical trial, could enhance the efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic agents specifically in ABCG2-overexpressing MDR cancer cells but not in the parental sensitive cells. Dacomitinib was found to significantly increase the accumulation of ABCG2 probe substrates [doxorubicin (DOX),Rhodamine 123 (Rho 123) and Hoechst 33342] by inhibiting the transporter efflux function. Moreover, dacomitinib stimulated ABCG2 ATPase activity and competed with [¹²⁵I]-IAAP photolabeling of ABCG2 in a concentration-dependent manner. However, dacomitinib did not alter ABCG2 expression at protein and mRNA levels or inhibit ErbB downstream signaling of AKT and ERK. Importantly, dacomitinib significantly enhanced the efficacy of topotecan in ABCG2-overexpressing H460/MX20 cell xenografts in nude mice without incurring additional toxicity.

These results suggest that dacomitinib reverses ABCG2-mediated MDR by inhibiting ABCG2 efflux function and increasing intracellular accumulation of anticancer agents. Our findings advocate further clinical investigation of combinations of dacomitinib and conventional chemotherapy in cancer patients with ABCG2-overexpressing MDR tumors.