title: Multifunctional role of VIP in prostate cancer progression in a xenograft model: suppression by curcumin and COX-2 inhibitor NS-398.
abstract: We used an in vivo model of human experimental prostate cancer in order to shed a new light on the effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on tumor growth as well as its pro-metastatic potential in this disease. We used nude mice subcutaneously injected with prostate cancer androgen-independent PC3 cells for 30 days. The regulatory role of VIP on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression as well as on matrix metalloproteinase-2 and 9 (MMP-2 and 9) activities was examined. A selective COX-2 inhibitor, NS-398, and curcumin were used to block VIP effects. Xenografts of VIP-treated PC3 prostate cancer cells in nude mice gave tumors that grew significantly faster than those in the untreated group. It is conceivably a result of both the trophic effect of VIP on prostate cancer cells and the proangiogenic action of the neuropeptide in the growing tumor. We show the overexpression at mRNA and/or protein levels of VIP, its main receptor VPAC(1), the major angiogenic factor VEGF, and the pro-inflammatory enzyme COX-2 as well as the increased activity of MMP-2 and 9 in tumors derived from VIP-treated PC3 cells as compared with control group. The overexpression of the above biomarkers was suppressed in tumors derived from VIP-treated PC3 cells that had been previously incubated with curcumin or NS-398. Thus, the potential therapeutic role of curcumin and selective COX-2 inhibitors in combination with available VIP antagonists should be considered in prostate cancer therapy as supported by their inhibitory activities on tumor cell growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Alcalá, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Fernández-Martínez
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bajo
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valdehita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isabel Arenas
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Chapado
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Carmena
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Prieto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D013449:Sulfonamides; C080955:N-(2-cyclohexyloxy-4-nitrophenyl)methanesulfonamide; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; C077623:Ptgs2 protein, mouse; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D003474:Curcumin