Le Carcinome Hépatocellulaire a une incidence mondiale élevée et est associé à un mauvais pronostic. Les traitements curatifs existants ne sont applicables qu’à une minorité de patients. La radiothérapie sélective interne (SIRT) est un traitement palliatif de plus en plus utilisé. Elle consiste à l’injection sélective intra-tumorale de microsphères d’yttrium-90 par infusion intra-artérielle, et repose sur deux étapes : une étape pré-thérapeutique de simulation du traitement avec l’injection de macroagrégats d’albumines marqués au 99mTc et le traitement en lui-même. Cependant les caractéristiques de ces deux vecteurs diffèrent et peuvent conduire à des variations de biodistribution et à une dosimétrie approximative. Ce travail a pour but de développer un vecteur radiothéranostique unique pour la SIRT : les microparticules à base d’amidon (SBMP), afin de pallier aux différents problèmes rencontrés en clinique. L’optimisation du radiomarquage par le 68Ga et le 188Re sous forme de kits lyophilisés prêts-à-l’emploi, a permis d’obtenir une pureté radiochimique > 98 % et > 95 % respectivement. Une étude préliminaire par imagerie TEP/TDM in vivo chez le rat, suite à l’injection intraartérielle des 68Ga-SBMP a montré une biodistribution spécifique des microparticules avec plus de 95 % de l’activité retrouvée dans le foie et plus particulièrement dans les tumeurs. Les SBMP offrent plusieurs avantages répondant à différents problèmes actuels et constituent un agent théranostique prometteur pour la SIRT. Une présentation de la SIRT, des différentes microparticules en développement pour la SIRT et des modèles animaux de tumeur hépatique existants seront également développées dans ce travail. / The Hepatocellular Carcinoma has a high incidence worldwide and is associated with a bad prognostic. The existing curative treatments can only be apply in a minority of cases. The selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) is a palliative treatment that is increasingly used. This technique is define by the selective intratumoral injection of yttrium-90microspheres via intra-arterial infusion. It involves two steps : a pre-therapeutic one for treatment simulation purpose with the injection of serum albumin macroaggregates radiolabeled with 99mTc and the treatment itself. However the characteristics of these two vectors are different and can lead to variations in biodistribution and approximate dosimetry. This works aims to develop a unique radiotheranostic vector for the SIRT: the starch-basedmicroparticles (SBMP), in order to overcome the different currents clinical problems. The optimization of the radiolabeling by the 68Ga and the 188Re in the form of ready-to-use radiolabeling kits allowed to obtain a radiochemical purity > 98 % and > 95 % respectively. A preliminary in vivo study by PET/CT imaging in rat, following the intra-arterial injection of 68Ga-SBMP displayed a specific biodistribution of the microparticles with more than 95 % of the activity found in the liver and mostly in the tumors. The SBMP offer several advantages that answer different current issues and area promising theranostic agent for the SIRT. A presentation of the SIRT, the different microparticles in development and the existing animal models of hepatic tumor will also be developed in this work.

The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor and member of the basic helix-loop-helix Per/ARNT/Sim (bHLH/PAS) family of chemosensors and developmental regulators. As a member of the PAS domain family of transcription factors responsive to exogenous signals, the AhR exerts influence on many processes relating to cellular fate. The activation of AhR is widely associated with toxic endpoints related to dioxin exposure. However, the AhR also activates endogenous gene programs related to development, cellular growth, and differentiation. The AhR is able to bind a variety of ligands, leading to a wide range of biological outcomes. Recent reports have shown that the AhR can mediate tumor suppressive effects. As a ligand-activated transcription factor, the AhR has the potential to actuate a variety of transcriptional programs that are dependent on the AhR ligand. Our central hypothesis is that AhR ligands can be identified that are capable of initiating tumor suppressive functions of the AhR. We utilized complementary cell-based and in silico virtual screening approaches to identify potential AhR ligands. We developed homology models of the AhR ligand-binding domain (LBD) for virtual ligand screening (VLS) of small molecule libraries. This led to the identification of new AhR ligands 5,7- dihydroxyflavanone!and 5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavone. Additional small molecule libraries were screened in parallel that led to identification of flutamide as a putative AhR ligand. Flutamide is clinically approved for the treatment of prostate cancer due to its ability to antagonize androgen receptor mediated transcription. We investigated the biological effects of flutamide in AhR positive cancer cells that do not express the androgen receptor and found that flutamide inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells. Suppression of AhR expression reversed the anti-proliferative effects of flutamide. We tested 15 structural analogs of flutamide, including the flutamide metabolite 2-hydroxyflutamide for activation of AhR transcriptional activity. Flutamide is unique in its ability to activate the AhR, and suppresses hepatoma cell growth. These data suggests that flutamide-induced AhR transcriptional activity is required to initiate the tumor suppressive effects. We examined changes in cell cycle checkpoint proteins after flutamide treatment and discovered increased expression of cell cycle inhibitory proteins p27[superscript Kip1] and p15[superscript INK]. We also found that transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGFβ1), which regulates both p27[superscript Kip1] and p15[superscript INK], is upregulated by flutamide. We demonstrate that TGFβ1 is upregulated by flutamide in an AhR-dependent manner and is required for suppression of proliferation by flutamide. We identify specific and unique transcriptional signatures of the AhR upon activation by flutamide, that are distinct from the potent AhR agonist 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). In summary, we characterize flutamide as an AhR ligand and demonstrate its AhR-dependent tumor suppressive effects in hepatoma cells. We provide the first direct evidence that AhR regulates TGFβ signaling in a ligand dependent manner. We demonstrate that the AhR-induced downstream transcriptional signature and subsequent biological effects are specific to the AhR ligand. Our studies have broad impact for characterizing the AhR as a new therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma. / Graduation date: 2013 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from March 28, 2013 - March 28, 2015

Ce travail concerne le développement d'un système de vectorisation nanoparticulaire pour l'interférence ARN, constituant une nouvelle proposition thérapeutique applicable à des pathologies virales ou tumorales, et possiblement complémentaire aux traitements existants. La vectorisation de siRNA est ici basée sur l'enrobage multicouche de nanoparticules de phosphate de calcium, la multicouche étant constituée de dépôts alternés de PEI modifié et de siRNA. Ce système permet d'obtenir une efficacité de transfection des cellulaires cibles supérieure à celle des procédés conventionnels et une rémanence fonctionnelle in vitro jusqu'à neuf jours. Les résultats d'interférence ARN obtenus ont permis notamment d'inhiber l'infection par le virus de l'hépatite C jusqu'à 99,95%, l'inhibition de l'expression d'une protéine intrinsèque jusqu'à90,5%, et le ralentissement de la croissance cellulaire dans un modèle 3D mimant une tumeur hépatique jusqu'à 46,5%. Ces nanoparticules pourraient présenter un intérêt majeur, en offrant une action à long terme et en résolvant la plupart des difficultés rencontrées en utilisant des siRNA en thérapie.

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