05) ( Fig. 8D). A PCR array containing

84 genes that are involved in various aspects of tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis was used to analyze tumor samples from the various treatment groups (Fig. 9A and B). Both C-DIM-5 and C-DIM-8 decreased expression of Bcl2, Ccne1, EGFR, Met, MMP2, MMP9, Myc, NCAM1, PTEN, Pazopanib ic50 VEGF A, VEGF B, and VEGF C mRNAs (Fig. 9A and B). C-DIM-5 also downregulated expression of ANGPT1, Ccd25a and Birc5 mRNAs (Fig. 9A), and C-DIM-8 inhibited the levels of ATM (Fig. 9B). Both C-DIM-5 and C-DIM-8 increased markers of apoptosis including cleaved PARP while uniquely increasing the expression of cleaved Caspase8 and cleaved Caspase3 respectively (Fig. 10A and B). C-DIM-5 also induced the expression of p21, the transcriptional modulator of the tumor suppressor p53 (Fig. 10A). Differentially, nebulized C-DIM-8 alone significantly inhibited the expression of PARP, Bcl2, and Survivin compared AZD6738 to the control and nebulized C-DIM-5 (p < 0.05) ( Fig. 10B). Whilst both C-DIM-5 and C-DIM-8 and their combinations with doc decreased the expression of β-catenin, MMP9, MMP2, c-Myc, c-Met and EGFR which were significant compared to control

( Fig. 10C and D), there were significant differences between them ( Fig. 11 and Fig. 12). C-DIM-8 + doc significantly decreased the expression MMP9, c-Myc, β-catenin compared to C-DIM-5 + doc (p < 0.05) (Figs. 11A, B and 12A respectively). C-DIM-5 + doc and C-DIM-8 + doc inhibited EGFR expression significantly but the differences between them were not significant ( Fig. 12C). In this study, we investigated the enhanced anti-metastatic and anticancer activities of C-DIM-5 and C-DIM-8 formulated for inhalation

delivery. C-DIM-5 and C-DIM-8 act on TR3 as activator and deactivator respectively Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (Cho et al., 2007 and Lee et al., 2011a). They are highly lipophilic with nominally low membrane permeability. These properties preclude the achievement of optimal concentrations at the tumor microenvironment when administered orally. And while the anticancer activities of various C-DIM analogs have been studied, their abilities to inhibit metastasis haven’t engendered much interest (Chintharlapalli et al., 2005, Cho et al., 2010, Cho et al., 2008 and Cho et al., 2007). Therefore, we planned to overcome the barriers to effective therapy in advanced lung cancer by formulating C-DIM-5 and C-DIM-8 in inhalable forms for local lung delivery in a metastatic tumor model. C-DIM-8 and C-DIM-5 are generally non-toxic in normal tissue at therapeutic concentrations (Chintharlapalli et al., 2005, Cho et al., 2007, Lee et al., 2010 and Lee et al., 2009). However, both compounds inhibited A549 cell growth when administered alone and acted in synergism with doc.