Combating Acute Myeloid Leukemia via Sphingosine Kinase 1 Inhibitor-Nanomedicine Combination Therapy with Cytarabine or Venetoclax

MP-A08 is a novel sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) inhibitor with activity against acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A rationally designed liposome-based encapsulation and delivery system has been shown to overcome the physicochemical challenges of MP-A08 and enable its effective delivery for improved efficacy and survival of mice engrafted with human AML in preclinical models. To establish therapies that overcome AML’s heterogeneous nature, here we explored the combination of MP-A08-loaded liposomes with both the standard chemotherapy, cytarabine, and the targeted therapy, venetoclax, against human AML cell lines. Cytarabine (over the dose range of 0.1–0.5 µM) in combination with MP-A08 liposomes showed significant synergistic effects (as confirmed by the Chou–Talalay Combination Index) against the chemosensitised human AML cell lines MV4-11 and OCI-AML3. Venetoclax (over the dose range of 0.5–250 nM) in combination with MP-A08 liposomes showed significant synergistic effects against the chemosensitised human AML cell lines, particularly in venetoclax-resistant human AML cells. This strong synergistic effect is due to multiple mechanisms of action, i.e., inhibiting MCL-1 through SPHK1 inhibition, leading to ceramide accumulation, activation of protein kinase R, ATF4 upregulation, and NOXA activation, ultimately resulting in MCL-1 degradation. These combination therapies warrant further consideration and investigation in the search for a more comprehensive treatment strategy for AML.