title: Pigment epithelium-derived factor as a multifunctional antitumor factor.
abstract: The design of new therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment is based on the combination of drugs directed against different tumor compartments, including the tumor cells themselves and components of the stroma, such as the tumor vasculature. Indeed, several antiangiogenic compounds have entered clinical trials for use alone or in combination with conventional cytotoxic drugs. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a multifunctional natural peptide with complex neurotrophic, neuroprotective, antiangiogenic, and proapoptotic biological activities, any of which could potentially be exploited for therapeutic purposes. This review summarizes recent studies that reveal the antitumor potential of PEDF based on its antiangiogenic properties and its newly discovered direct antitumor effects, which involve the induction of differentiation or apoptosis in tumor cells. We also discuss possible therapeutic applications of PEDF, based on these mechanistic insights and on the identification of functional domains that retain specific biological activities.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquimica, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas CSIC-UAM, Arturo Duperier 4, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: N I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Garcia
authors.forename: O V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Volpert
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jimenez
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000628:therapy*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015843:Serpins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000099174:Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D005136:Eye Proteins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D015843:Serpins; D000099174:Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor