CUDC-907, a dual PI3K/histone deacetylase inhibitor, increases meta-iodobenzylguanidine uptake ((123/131)I-mIBG) in vitro and in vivo: a promising candidate for advancing theranostics in neuroendocrine tumors

BACKGROUND: Neuroblastoma (NB) and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PHEO/PGL) are neuroendocrine tumors. Imaging of these neoplasms is performed by scintigraphy after injection of radiolabeled meta-iodobenzylguanidine (mIBG), a norepinephrine analog taken up by tumoral cells through monoamine transporters. The pharmacological induction of these transporters is a promising approach to improve the imaging and therapy (theranostics) of these tumors. METHODS: Transporters involved in mIBG internalization were identified by using transfected Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) cells. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) and inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were tested in cell lines to study their effect on mIBG internalization. Studies in xenografted mice were performed to assess the effect of the most promising HDACi on (123)I-mIBG uptake. RESULTS: Transfected HEK cells demonstrated that the norepinephrine and dopamine transporter (NET and DAT) avidly internalizes mIBG. Sodium-4-phenylbutyrate (an HDACi), CUDC-907 (a dual HDACi and PI3K inhibitor), BGT226 (a PI3K inhibitor) and VS-5584 and rapamycin (two inhibitors of mTOR) increased mIBG internalization in a neuroblastoma cell line (IGR-NB8) by 2.9-, 2.1-, 2.5-, 1.5- and 1.3-fold, respectively, compared with untreated cells. CUDC-907 also increased mIBG internalization in two other NB cell lines and in one PHEO cell line. We demonstrated that mIBG internalization occurs primarily through the NET. In xenografted mice with IGR-NB8 cells, oral treatment with 5 mg/kg of CUDC-907 increased the tumor uptake of (123)I-mIBG by 2.3- and 1.9-fold at 4 and 24 h post-injection, respectively, compared to the untreated group. CONCLUSIONS: Upregulation of the NET by CUDC-907 lead to a better internalization of mIBG in vitro and in vivo. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-023-04466-z.