title: Genetic immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma by endothelial progenitor cells armed with cytosine deaminase.
abstract: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) serve as cellular vehicles for targeting cancer cells and are a powerful tool for delivery of therapeutic genes. Cytosine deaminase (CD), a kind of frequent suicide gene which can kill carcinoma cells by converting a non-poisonous pro-drug 5-flucytosine (5-FC) into a poisonous cytotoxic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). We combined super-paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles labeled EPCs with CD gene to treat grafted liver carcinomas and tracked them with 7.0 T Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results showed that the therapeutic EPCs loaded with CD plus 5-Fc provided stronger carcinoma growth suppression compared with treatment using CD alone. The CD/5-Fc significantly inhibited the growth of endothelial cells and induced carcinoma cells apoptosis. These results indicate that EPCs transfected with anti-carcinoma genes can be used in carcinoma therapy as a novel therapeutic modality.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yan-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu-Jia
authors.forename: Gao-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Teng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D043525:Cytosine Deaminase / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003911:Dextrans / Q000378:metabolism; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D057075:Enzyme Assays; D005295:Ferrocyanides / Q000378:metabolism; D005453:Fluorescence; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D053758:Nanoparticles; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D005295:Ferrocyanides; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D043525:Cytosine Deaminase; C065507:ferumoxides; C000170:ferric ferrocyanide