VER-50589 inhibits the intrinsic ATPase activity of recombinant yeast Hsp90 with IC50 of 143 nM, and produces antiproliferative activity in a panel of human cancer cell lines and nontumorigenic cells in vitro. VER-50589 causes induction of HSP72 and HSP27 alongside depletion of client proteins, including C-RAF, B-RAF, and survivin, and the protein arginine methyltransferase PRMT5, which further result in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
In vivo
In HCT116 human colon cancer xenografts, VER-50589 (100 mg/kg i.p.) results in a statistically significant reduction of ∼30% in tumor volume and weight, as well as induction of HSP72 and depletion of ERBB2 and C-RAF.
