Combination therapy for treatment of cancer

1. A method of treating an individual suffering from cancer, said method comprising administering to said individual an effective amount of a disintegrin and at least one microtubule stabilizing agent, wherein said disintegrin is characterized by having an integrin binding loop stabilized by disulfide bonds.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said cancer is an integrin expressing cancer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said integrin is αvβ5.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said cancer is selected from the group consisting of prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cancer, central nervous system (CNS) cancer, and leukemia.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin is contortrostatin.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin is a contortrostatin monomer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin is a contortrostatin dimer, a contortrostatin precursor or biologically active variant thereof, containing an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of

(a) amino acid numbers 419 to 483 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(b) amino acid numbers 191 to 410 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(c) amino acid numbers 1 to 190 of SEQ ID NO: 1; and

(d) SEQ ID NO: 1.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin is a contortrostatin that comprises a monomer having a molecular mass of about 5 to about 7 kDa.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said contortrostatin monomer forms a homodimer with another contortrostatin monomer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin comprises a constrained Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence of a peptide loop of about 13 amino acid residues flanked by two Cys residues, wherein the peptide loop is an integrin antagonist which has an amino acid sequence comprising amino acid numbers 457 to 469 of SEQ ID NO: 1.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin is vicrostatin.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said microtubule stabilizing agent is a taxane.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said taxane is docetaxel.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said taxane is paclitaxel.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said taxane has Formula II as follows:

wherein:

R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, or oxy, each of which may be optionally substituted;

R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, hydroxyl, oxy, C(O)H, or OC(O)R 5 ; and

R 5 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said taxane has Formula III as follows:

wherein

R 10 is selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted; and

R 11 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, —C(O)H, —C(O)CH 3 , or —C(O)CH 2 CH 3 .

17. The method of claim 16 wherein R 10 is —C(CH 3 ) 3 and R 11 is H.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein R 10 is phenyl and R 11 is acetyl.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin is administered before said microtubule stabilizing agent.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin is administered after said microtubule stabilizing agent.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said disintegrin and microtubule stabilizing agent are co-administered.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said treatment is repeated.

23. A method of preventing or inhibiting the growth of metastases in an individual suffering from an integrin expressing cancer, said method comprising administering to said individual an effective amount of a disintegrin and at least one microtubule stabilizing agent.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said cancer is an integrin expressing cancer.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said integrin is αvβ5.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said cancer is selected from the group consisting of prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cancer, central nervous system (CNS) cancer, and leukemia.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin is contortrostatin.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin is a contortrostatin monomer.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin is a contortrostatin dimer, a contortrostatin precursor or biologically active variant thereof containing an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of:

(a) amino acid numbers 419 to 483 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(b) amino acid numbers 191 to 410 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(c) amino acid numbers 1 to 190 of SEQ ID NO: 1; and

(d) SEQ ID NO: 1.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin is a contortrostatin that comprises a monomer having a molecular mass of about 5 to about 7 kDa.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said contortrostatin monomer forms a homodimer with another contortrostatin monomer.

32. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin comprises a constrained Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence of a peptide loop of about 13 amino acid residues flanked by two Cys residues, wherein the peptide loop is an integrin antagonist which has an amino acid sequence comprising amino acid numbers 457 to 469 of SEQ ID NO: 1.

33. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin is vicrostatin.

34. The method of claim 23 wherein said microtubule stabilizing agent is a taxane.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said taxane is docetaxel.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein said taxane is paclitaxel.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein said taxane has Formula II as follows:

wherein:

R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, or oxy, each of which may be optionally substituted;

R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, hydroxyl, oxy, C(O)H, or OC(O)R 5 ; and

R 5 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein said taxane has Formula III as follows:

wherein

R 10 is selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted; and

R 11 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, —C(O)H, —C(O)CH 3 , or —C(O)CH 2 CH 3 .

39. The method of claim 38 wherein R 10 is —(CH 3 ) 3 and R 11 is H.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein R 10 is phenyl and R 11 is acetyl.

41. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin is administered before said microtubule stabilizing agent.

42. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin is administered after said microtubule stabilizing agent.

43. The method of claim 23 wherein said disintegrin and microtubule stabilizing agent are co-administered.

44. The method of claim 23 wherein said treatment is repeated.

45. A method of treating an individual suffering from cancer, said method consisting essentially of administering to said individual an effective amount of a disintegrin and at least one microtubule stabilizing agent, wherein said disintegrin is characterized by having an integrin binding loop stabilized by disulfide bonds.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein said cancer is an integrin expressing cancer.

47. The method of claim 45 wherein said disintegrin is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) vicrostatin;

(b) a contortrostatin monomer;

(c) a contortrostatin dimer; and,

(d) a contortrostatin precursor or biologically active variant thereof, containing an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of:

(1) amino acid numbers 419 to 483 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(2) amino acid numbers 191 to 410 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(3) amino acid numbers 1 to 190 of SEQ ID NO: 1; and

(4) SEQ ID NO: 1.

48. The method of claim 45 wherein said microtubule stabilizing agent is a taxane.

49. The method of claim 12 wherein said taxane has Formula III as follows:

wherein R 10 is selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted; and

R 11 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, —C(O)H, —C(O)CH 3 , or —C(O)CH 2 CH 3 .

50. The method of claim 49 wherein R 10 is —C(CH 3 ) 3 and R 11 is H.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein R 10 is phenyl and R 11 is acetyl.

52. A method of preventing or inhibiting the growth of metastases in an individual suffering from an integrin expressing cancer, said method consisting essentially of administering to said individual an effective amount of a disintegrin and at least one microtubule stabilizing agent.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein said taxane has Formula II as follows:

wherein:

R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, or oxy, each of which may be optionally substituted;

R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, hydroxyl, oxy, C(O)H, or OC(O)R 5 ; and

R 5 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted.

54. The method of claim 52 wherein said disintegrin is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) vicrostatin;

(b) a contortrostatin monomer;

(c) a contortrostatin dimer; and

(d) a contortrostatin precursor or biologically active variant thereof, containing an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of

(1) amino acid numbers 419 to 483 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(2) amino acid numbers 191 to 410 of SEQ ID NO: 1;

(3) amino acid numbers 1 to 190 of SEQ ID NO: 1; and

(4) SEQ ID NO: 1.

55. The method of claim 52 wherein said microtubule stabilizing agent is a taxane.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein said taxane has Formula II as follows:

wherein:

R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, or oxy, each of which may be optionally substituted;

R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, hydroxyl, oxy, C(O)H, or OC(O)R 5 ; and

R 5 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted.

57. The method of claim 55 wherein said taxane has Formula III as follows:

wherein

R 10 is selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, each of which may be optionally substituted; and

R 11 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, —C(O)H, —C(O)CH 3 , or —C(O)CH 2 CH 3 .

58. The method of claim 57 wherein R 10 is —C(CH 3 ) 3 and R 11 is H.

59. The method of claim 57 wherein R 10 is phenyl and R 11 is acetyl.