Pemetrexed

Kinase experiment:

AICARFT inhibition assays are carried out at room temperature by monitoring the formation of [6S]-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate from 10-formyl-[6R,S]-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate at A298. All solutions are purged with N2 gas prior to use. The reaction solution contains 33 mM Tris-Cl, pH 7.4, 25 mM KCl, 5 mM 2-Mercaptoethanol, 0.05 mM AICA ribonucleotide, and 16 nM (2 milliunits/mL) of AICARFT. 10-Formyl-[6R,S]-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate concentrations of 0.037, 0.074, and 0.145 mM are used (0.61, 1.23, and 2.45 times its Km value, respectively). LY231514 is tested as an inhibitor at 0.08-0.8 mM (four concentrations). When the tri- and pentaglutamates of LY231514 are used as inhibitors, the concentrations are 0.0005-0.009 mM (eight concentrations). Enzyme assays are initiated by the addition of enzyme. Data is analyzed using the ENZFITTER program for competitive inhibition.

Cell experiment:

Dose-response curves are generated to determine the concentration required for 50% inhibition of growth (IC50). Pemetrexed is dissolved initially in DMSO at a concentration of 4 mg/mL and further diluted with cell culture medium to the desired concentration. CCRF-CEM leukemia cells in complete medium are added to 24-well Cluster plates at a final concentration of 4.8×104 cells/well in a total volume of 2 mL. Test compounds at various concentrations are added to duplicate wells so that the final volume of DMSO is 0.5%. The plates are incubated for 72 h at 37°C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air. At the end of the incubation, cell numbers are determined on a ZBI Coulter counter. Control wells usually contain 4×105 to 6×105 cells at the end of the incubation. For several studies, IC50s are determined for each compound in the presence of either 300 μM AICA, 5 μM thymidine, 100 μM hypoxanthine, or combination of 5 μM hymidine plus 100 μM hypoxanthine[1].

Animal experiment:

Mice[2] Female CBA mice and female NOD/SCID mice (NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid) at 6-8 wk of age are used. Premetrexed (100 mg/kg) is given i.p. from days 4-8 (5 consecutive d) to tumor-bearing mice to explore the synergistic effect when combined with anti-CD25 Ab or IgG control. The dose and schedule used for Pemetrexed in the current study is determined based on previous studies in mice.

References:

[1]. Shih C, et al. LY231514, a pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-based antifolate that inhibits multiple folate-requiring enzymes. Cancer Res. 1997 Mar 15;57(6):1116-23.
[2]. Anraku M, et al. Synergistic antitumor effects of regulatory T cell blockade combined with pemetrexed in murine malignantmesothelioma. J Immunol. 2010 Jul 15;185(2):956-66.