Anti-tumor activity of a combination of plasminogen activator and captopril in a human melanoma xenograft model.
Angiostatin, a proteolytic fragment of plasminogen consisting of the first 3 or 4 kringle domains, reduces tumor growth by specifically inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. Angiostatin is generated in vitro in a 2-step process. First, plasminogen is converted to plasmin by plasminogen activators. Next, plasmin excises the angiostatin fragment from plasminogen, a process requiring molecules that are able to donate a free sulfhydryl group. In this study, we investigated whether stimulation of in vivo angiostatin generation by administration of plasminogen activator and a free sulfhydryl group donor (FSD) has anti-tumor activity. First, we determined the optimal conditions for in vitro angiostatin generation by incubating murine plasma with different concentrations of plasminogen activator and/or the FSD captopril. Angiostatin generation was monitored by western blot analysis. Our results were extrapolated to the in vivo situation by administering the optimal dose of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA, i.v. injection 3 times/week) and captopril (in drinking water) to mice and analyzing the presence of angiostatin in the circulation. Angiostatin was readily detectable in mice receiving both tPA and captopril, but not in mice receiving either one of the agents. Finally, the anti-tumor activity of the tPA/captopril treatment was tested in a human melanoma xenograft model. Administration of tPA alone had only a marginal effect on tumor growth. Captopril alone reduced tumor growth by about 60%, whereas treatment with both captopril and tPA resulted in 83% inhibition of tumor growth.
de Groot-Besseling
Renate R J
RR
Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. r.besseling@pathol.umcn.nl
Ruers
Theo J M
TJ
van Kraats
Annemieke A
AA
Poelen
Geert J M
GJ
Ruiter
Dirk J
DJ
de Waal
Robert M W
RM
Westphal
Johan R
JR
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D043168:Angiostatins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002216:Captopril / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D010960:Plasminogen Activators / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D015854:Up-Regulation
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D043168:Angiostatins; D002216:Captopril; D010960:Plasminogen Activators