Suppression of hypoxia-induced HIF-1α accumulation by VEGFR inhibitors: Different profiles of AAL993 versus SU5416 and KRN633

The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a heterodimeric basic helix-loop-helix transcriptional factor and the activated HIF plays pivotal roles in various pathological conditions, including inflammation and cancer. HIF-1α overexpression has been observed in many common human cancers, including brain, breast, colon, lung, ovary, and prostate, and HIF-mediated genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, are associated with tumor angiogenesis, metastasis, and invasion. Therefore, the pro-oncogenic protein HIF is a novel target of cancer therapy. We examined the effects of VEGFR inhibitors, AAL993, SU5416, and KRN633, on suppression of HIF-1α accumulation under the hypoxic condition. We found that VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, AAL993, SU5416, and KRN633, possess dual functions: inhibition of VEGFR signaling and HIF-1α expression under the hypoxic condition. The detailed mechanistic study indicated that SU5416 and KRN633 suppressed HIF-1α expression through inhibition of both Akt and ERK phosphorylation signaling pathways, whereas AAL993 suppressed HIF-1α expression through ERK inhibition without affecting Akt phosphorylation.