title: Vasoactive intestinal peptide inhibits human small-cell lung cancer proliferation in vitro and in vivo.
abstract: Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is an aggressive, rapidly growing and metastasizing, and highly fatal neoplasm. We report that vasoactive intestinal peptide inhibits the proliferation of SCLC cells in culture and dramatically suppresses the growth of SCLC tumor-cell implants in athymic nude mice. In both cases, the inhibition was mediated apparently by a cAMP-dependent mechanism, because the inhibition was enhanced by the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin and the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine in proportion to increases in intracellular cAMP levels, and the inhibition was abolished by selective inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. If confirmed in clinical trials, this antiproliferative action of vasoactive intestinal peptide may offer a new and promising means of suppressing SCLC in human subjects, without the toxic side effects of chemotherapeutic agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center Stony Brook, NY 11768-2290, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maruno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Absood
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Said
mesh_terms: D015056:1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D005576:Colforsin; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases; D015056:1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine