FF-10501 induces caspase-8-mediated apoptotic and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated necrotic cell death in hematological malignant cells

FF-10501 is a novel inhibitor of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH). Clinical trials of FF-10501 for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are currently being conducted in the United States. Although it has been shown that FF-10501 induces apoptosis in hematological malignant cells, the intracellular mechanisms of this effect have not been characterized. We conducted an in vitro study to elucidate the mechanisms of FF-10501-induced cell death using 12 hematological malignant cell lines derived from myeloid and lymphoid malignancies. FF-10501 suppressed the growth of each cell line in a dose-dependent manner. However, the clinically relevant dose (40 μM) of FF-10501 induced cell death in three cell lines (MOLM-13, OCI-AML3, and MOLT-3). Investigation of the cell death mechanism suggested that FF-10501 induces both apoptotic and necrotic cell death. FF-10501-induced apoptosis was mediated by caspase-8 activation followed by activation of the mitochondrial pathway in MOLM-13 and MOLT-3 cells. FF-10501 induced necrotic cell death via endoplasmic reticulum stress in OCI-AML3 cells. The present study is the first to identify intracellular pathways involved in FF-10501-induced cell death.