Angiogenesis In Tumor Tissues Research Articles

Sambucus adnata Polysaccharide SPS-1 Inhibits Growth of Transplanted Lung Cancer via Polarizing Tumor Associated Macrophage From M2 into M1

Macrophages are the primary immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, where they exhibit the immunosuppressive M2 phenotype to support tumor development. Reshaping M2 tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) into the antitumor M1 phenotype is a promising approach in tumor immunotherapy. We had previously demonstrated that a high-purity homogeneous Sambucus adnata wall polysaccharide SPS-1 isolated from S. adnata exerted a good immunoregulatory effect. In the present study, we explored whether SPS-1 can remodel TAMs and inhibit the development of lung cancer. In the tumor mouse model transplanted with Lewis lung cancer, SPS-1 promoted the apoptosis of tumor cells and inhibited angiogenesis in tumor tissues by remodeling M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment into M1 macrophages, which exerted effective antitumor effects. Therefore, SPS-1 may be used as a novel immunostimulator in tumor immunotherapy, and our study also provides a novel pathway and material for reshaping immune defense to prevent and treat tumors.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to characterize angiogenesis in primary epithelial ovarian cancer: An exploratory study

PurposeAngiogenesis is essential for tumor growth. Currently, there are no established imaging biomarkers to show angiogenesis in tumor tissue. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate whether semiquantitative and pharmacokinetic DCE-MRI perfusion parameters could be used to assess angiogenesis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). MethodWe enrolled 38 patients with primary EOC treated in 2011–2014. DCE-MRI was performed with a 3.0 T imaging system before the surgical treatment. Two different sizes of ROI were used to evaluate semiquantitative and pharmacokinetic DCE perfusion parameters: a large ROI (L-ROI) covering the whole primary lesion on one plane and a small ROI (S-ROI) covering a small solid, highly enhancing focus. Tissue samples from tumors were collected during the surgery. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), its receptors (VEGFRs) and to analyse microvascular density (MVD) and the number of microvessels. ResultsVEGF expression correlated inversely with Ktrans (L-ROI, r = -0.395 (p = 0.009), S-ROI, r = -0.390, (p = 0.010)), Ve (L-ROI, r = -0.395 (p = 0.009), S-ROI, r = -0.412 (p = 0.006)) and Vp (L-ROI, r = -0.388 (p = 0.011), S-ROI, r = -0.339 (p = 0.028)) values in EOC. Higher VEGFR-2 correlated with lower DCE parameters Ktrans (L-ROI, r = -0.311 (p = 0.040), S-ROI, r = -0.337 (p = 0.025)) and Ve (L-ROI, r = -0.305 (p = 0.044), S-ROI, r = -0.355 (p = 0.018)). We also found that MVD and the number of microvessels correlated positively with AUC, Peak and WashIn values. ConclusionsWe observed that several DCE-MRI parameters correlated with VEGF and VEGFR-2 expression and MVD. Thus, both semiquantitative and pharmacokinetic perfusion parameters of DCE-MRI represent promising tools for the assessment of angiogenesis in EOC.

Integrin Targeting Enhances the Antimelanoma Effect of Annexin V in Mice.

Malignant melanoma, an increasingly common form of skin cancer, is a major threat to public health, especially when the disease progresses past skin lesions to the stage of advanced metastasis. Targeted drug development is an effective strategy for the treatment of malignant melanoma. In this work, a new antimelanoma tumor peptide, the lebestatin-annexin V (designated LbtA5) fusion protein, was developed and synthesized by recombinant DNA techniques. As a control, annexin V (designated ANV) was also synthesized by the same method. The fusion protein combines annexin V, which specifically recognizes and binds phosphatidylserine, with the disintegrin lebestatin (lbt), a polypeptide that specifically recognizes and binds integrin α1β1. LbtA5 was successfully prepared with good stability and high purity while retaining the dual biological activity of ANV and lbt. MTT assays demonstrated that both ANV and LbtA5 could reduce the viability of melanoma B16F10 cells, but the activity of the fusion protein LbtA5 was superior to that of ANV. The tumor volume growth was slowed in a mouse xenograft model treated with ANV and LbtA5, and the inhibitory effect of high concentrations of LbtA5 was significantly better than that of the same dose of ANV and was comparable to that of DTIC, a drug used clinically for melanoma treatment. The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining test showed that ANV and LbtA5 had antitumor effects, but LbtA5 showed a stronger ability to induce melanoma necrosis in mice. Immunohistochemical experiments further showed that ANV and LbtA5 may inhibit tumor growth by inhibiting angiogenesis in tumor tissue. Fluorescence labeling experiments showed that the fusion of ANV with lbt enhanced the targeting of LbtA5 to mouse melanoma tumor tissue, and the amount of target protein in tumor tissue was significantly increased. In conclusion, effective coupling of the integrin α1β1-specific recognition molecule lbt confers stronger biological antimelanoma effects of ANV, which may be achieved by the dual effects of effective inhibition of B16F10 melanoma cell viability and inhibition of tumor tissue angiogenesis. The present study describes a new potential strategy for the application of the promising recombinant fusion protein LbtA5 in the treatment of various cancers, including malignant melanoma.

The effect of stem cells and vascular endothelial growth factor on cancer angiogenesis

The formation of new vessels from pre-existing vessels is known as angiogenesis. The process is controlled by stimuli and inhibitors. Angiogenesis starts as a result of the unbalance of these factors, where balance has a tendency toward the stimulus. One of the most important factors promoting angiogenesis is the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In addition to being involved in vascular regeneration in normal tissues, VEGF also takes part in tumor tissue angiogenesis. These factors affect endothelial cells (ECs) directly as well as differentiate tumor cells from endothelial cells and play an active role in tumor tissue angiogenesis. Angiogenesis partakes in the growth and proliferation of tumor tissue. Because anti-angiogenic treatment is favorable in existing cancer therapies, the potential benefits should be considered. One of these new therapies is cell therapy using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Research on MSCs remains controversial because much of the earlier research on MSCs has shown their effectiveness, but more recent research has identified harmful effects of these cells. This article reviews the role of stem cells and their secretions in the angiogenesis of tumor tissues.

Fuzheng Kangai Decoction Restrains the Progression and Angiogenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Fuzheng Kangai decoction (FZKA) has been preliminarily proved to be effective in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study plans to investigate the clear role of FZKA on HCC progression. After establishing a HCC tumor-bearing mice model and treated with FZKA, the volumes and weights of HCC tumor were monitored, and tumor pathology was analyzed by HE staining. The expression of the molecules related to angiogenesis, apoptosis and angiogenesis in tumor tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry, Western blot and qRT-PCR assays. In addition, HCC cells were administrated with increasing concentrations of FZKA. Then the cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability were tested. In HCC tumor bearing mice, it was found that FZKA significantly decreased the tumor volumes, weights, aggravated tumor pathological damage, reduced VEGF, CD34, Bcl-2 expression, but promoted the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase 3, Cyt-C in tumor tissues. Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrated that FZKA co-incubation suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion ability of HCC cells. This study demonstrated that FZKA has the potential to inhibit HCC progression by promoting apoptosis and inhibiting angiogenesis.

A VEGFR targeting peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) suppresses tumor angiogenesis in a TACE model for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has become the preferred therapy for unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the embolization of tumor-feeding arteries by TACE always leads to hypoxia-related tumor angiogenesis, which limited the therapeutic effect for HCC. In this paper, we used a VEGFR targeting peptide VEGF125 − 136 (QKRKRKKSRYKS) to conjugate with a lytic peptide (KLUKLUKKLUKLUK) to form a peptide-drug conjugate (PDC). We used cell affinity assay to detect the peptide binding ability to VEGFR highly expressed cell lines, and CCK8, cell apoptosis to confirm the cellular toxicity for different cell lines. Meanwhile, we created a VX2 tumor-bearing rabbit model to assess the in vivo anti-tumor effect of the peptide conjugate in combination with TAE. HE staining was used to verify the in vivo safety of the peptide conjugate. IHC was used to assess the anti-angiogenesis and cell toxicity of the peptide conjugate in tumor tissues. The peptide conjugate could not only target VEGFR in cell surface and inhibit VEGFR function, but also have potent anti-cancer effect. We luckily found the peptide conjugate showed potent cytotoxicity for liver cancer cell Huh7 (IC50 7.3 ± 0.74 μM) and endothelial cell HUVEC (IC50 10.7 ± 0.292 μM) and induced cell apoptosis of these two cell lines. We also found the peptide conjugate inhibited cell migration of HUVEC through wound healing assay. Besides, these peptides also showed better in vivo anti-tumor effect than traditional drug DOX through TACE in VX2 rabbit tumor model, and efficiently inhibit angiogenesis in tumor tissues with good safety. In conclusion, our work may provide an alternative option for clinical HCC therapy via TACE combination.

Promotion of tumor progression induced by continuous low-dose administration of antineoplastic agent gemcitabine or gemcitabine combined with cisplatin

Major findingThis study observes a previously neglected pharmacological phenomenon and investigates its mechanism of that the continuous low-dose administration of some antineoplastic agents in certain dose ranges can promote tumorigenesis and tumor progression in vitro and in vivo, through stimulation of tumor cell functions directly as well as enhancement of tumor angiogenesis by BMDCs recruitment indirectly. The results alert to a potential risk in current empirically based continuous low-dose chemotherapy regimens such as metronomic chemotherapy. Background and objectivesThere are indications that certain antineoplastic agents at low dosages may exhibit abnormal pharmacological actions, such as promoting tumor growth. However, the phenomenon still needs to be further confirmed, and its underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. MethodsGemcitabine (GEM) and cisplatin (CDDP) were employed as representative antineoplastic agents to observe effects of continuous low-dose chemotherapy with GEM or GEM combined with CDDP (GEM+CDDP) on tumor formation and growthin xenograft tumor models in vivo. Tumor and endothelial cell functions, apoptosis, cell cycle analysis, as well as bone marrow derived cells (BMDCs) mobilization, were evaluated with transwell, MTT or flow cytometry analysis in vitro, respectively. Histological methods were employed to assess angiogenesis in tumor tissues. ResultsThe results showed that tumor formation and growth were both significantly promoted by GEM or GEM+CDDP at as low as half of the metronomic dosages, which were accompanied by enhancements of angiogenesis in tumor tissues and the release of proangiogenic BMDCs in the circulating blood. Additionally, GEM or GEM+CDDP at low concentrations dramatically facilitated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells in vitro. Cell-cycle arrest, activation of associated apoptotic proteins, and inhibition of apoptosis were also observed in tumor cells. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that, the continuous low-dose administration of GEM and GEM+CDDP can promote tumorigenesis and tumor progression in vivo by inhibiting apoptosis, mobilizing BMDCs, and promoting angiogenesis in certain dose ranges. These findings urge further investigations to avoid the potential risks in current empiric continuous low-dose chemotherapy regimens with antineoplastic agents.

Fruquintinib Enhances the Antitumor Immune Responses of Anti-Programmed Death Receptor-1 in Colorectal Cancer.

BackgroundProgrammed death receptor-1 (PD-1) blockade shows little benefit in patients with microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC). Fruquintinib is a China-made anti-angiogenic drug which is approved for the third line therapy in mCRC. This study investigates the effect of the combination of fruquintinib and PD-1 blockade on MSS-CRC and its relative mechanisms.MethodsThe mouse allograft tumor models that represent MSS and microsatellite instability (MSI) CRC were established using murine CT26 and MC38 colon cancer cells, respectively, to assess the treatment efficacy. The percentages of immune cells were detected in the peripheral blood, spleen and tumor tissues in the tumor-bearing mice by flow cytometry analysis. Angiogenesis in tumor tissues was detected by immunofluorescence. The safety of drug treatment was evaluated by histopathology analysis in murine main organs. The efficacy of the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab were verified in the treatment of MSS-CRC patients.ResultsOur results showed that the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab exhibited the strongest inhibition of tumor growth and achieved the longest survival time in mice bearing MC38 or CT26 xenograft tumors, compared to fruquintinib and sintilimab alone. Mechanistically, the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab reduced angiogenesis, reprogramed the vascular structure, enhanced the infiltration of CD8+T cells (p<0.05), CD8+TNFα+ (p<0.05) T cells and CD8+IFNγ+ (p<0.05) T cells and reduced the ratios of MDSCs and macrophages in mice. There was no obvious toxicity observed in the main organs of the tumor-bearing mice with the combined treatment. Moreover, the treatment using the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab achieved effective response in five patients with refractory advanced MSS CRC.ConclusionOur results show that the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab greatly inhibits CRC growth by altering tumor immune microenvironment. This study provides the rational for using the combination of fruquintinib and anti-PD-1 antibody for the treatment of advanced CRC.

Effect of fruquintinib on programmed death receptor-1 blockade antitumor immune responses in colorectal cancer.

150 Background: Programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) blockade shows little benefit in the patients with microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC).Fruquintinib, a China-made anti-angiogenic drug, applied for third line therapy in mCRC. However, the effects of combination of fruquintinib and PD-1 blockade on MSS-CRC and its relative mechanisms are not well determined. Methods: Syngeneic xenograft mouse models were establish using murine MC38 and CT26 colon cancer cells to assess treatment efficacy. The percentages of immune cells were detected in peripheral blood, spleen and tumor tissues in tumor-bearing mice by flow cytometry analysis. Angiogenesis in tumor tissues was detected by immunofluorescence. The safety of drug treatment was evaluated by histopathology analysis in murine main organs. The efficacy of combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab were verified in the treatment of MSS-CRC patients. Results: Our results showed the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab exhibited strongest inhibition of tumor growth and achieved longest survival time in mice bearing MC38 or CT26 xenograft tumors, compared to fruquintinib and sintilimab alone. Mechanistically, the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab reduced angiogenesis, reprogramed the vascular structure, enhanced the infiltration of CD8+T cells, CD8+TNFα+T cells and CD8+IFNγ+T cells and reduced the ratios of MDSCs and macrophages in mice. No obvious damage was observed in main organs in tumor-bearing mice with the combined treatment. Moreover, the treatment of combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab anti-PD-1 antibodies achieved effective response in five refractory advanced MSS CRC patients. Conclusions: Our results show that combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab synergistically inhibits CRC growth by alterating antitumor immune microenvironment.

Association of lncRNA PVT1 Gene Polymorphisms with the Risk of Essential Hypertension in Chinese Population

Vascular dysfunction and hyperlipidemia are essential risk factors contributing to essential hypertension (EH). The plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is involved in modulating angiogenesis in tumor tissues and plays an important role in fat differentiation in the progress of obesity. Therefore, we selected two tagSNPs of PVT1 (rs10956390 and rs80177647) to investigate whether they are contributing to the risk of hypertension in Chinese patients. In total, 524 adult patients with EH and 439 matched healthy controls were enrolled for two central of China. Results. PVT1 rs10956390 and rs80177647 polymorphisms were genotyped by using TaqMan assay. PVT1 rs10956390 TT genotype was associated with a decreased risk of EH (OR = 0.561, 95% CI = 0.372-0.846, P = 0.006), while rs80177647 TA genotype was associated with an increased risk (OR = 2.236, 95% CI = 1.515-3.301, P < 0.001). Rs10956390 T allele was associated with lower triglyceride levels in the plasma both from healthy and EH donors. What is more, there is an association between rs10956390 polymorphism and HDL-C level, as well as LDL-C. Conclusion. PVT1 rs10956390 and rs80177647 polymorphisms may contribute to the risk of EH in Chinese population by regulating blood lipid levels.

Curcumin Administered in Combination with Glu-GNPs Induces Radiosensitivity in Transplanted Tumor MDA-MB-231-luc Cells in Nude Mice.

Curcumin is a type of plant polyphenol extracted from Curcuma longa L. rhizome, which demonstrates antitumor activity in breast cancer cells in vitro. To investigate the combined effect and possible mechanism of curcumin and glucose-gold nanoparticles (Glu-GNPs), the radiosensitivity of breast carcinoma xenografts was assessed in nude mice. MDA-MB-231 cells labeled with firefly luciferase were inoculated into the mammary fatty pads of nude mice to establish a transplantation tumor model of human breast cancer. The tumor-bearing mice were treated with different drugs (curcumin, Glu-GNPs, and cisplatin) for 3 weeks prior to radiotherapy. The body weights and tumor volumes of the mice were measured in regular intervals. Tumor bioluminescence intensity was determined in real-time using an in vivo bioluminescence imaging system to monitor tumor growth. Transplanted tumor tissue samples were taken for hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and the expression of VEGF, HSP90, HIF-1α, and MMP9 was evaluated via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR or immunohistochemistry. The results revealed that the breast tumor-bearing nude mouse model was successfully established, as evidenced by a stable expression of luciferase. Curcumin inhibited the growth of tumors without causing significant weight loss in mice. Furthermore, additive inhibition was demonstrated when curcumin was administered in combination with Glu-GNPs and irradiation. Tumor bioluminescence intensity was decreased in the model group following curcumin, Glu-GNPs, and irradiation treatment. HE staining demonstrated that transplanted tumors were malignant, with necrotic tissue exhibited centrally. It was concluded that curcumin administered in combination with Glu-GNPs and X-ray irradiation could reduce the protein expression of VEGF, HSP90, HIF-1α, and MMP9 in tumor tissue when compared with the model group. Curcumin and Glu-GNPs administered with X-ray irradiation significantly inhibited tumor growth and induced radiosensitivity, which may be associated with the inhibition of angiogenesis in tumor tissue.

He-Wei Granule enhances anti-tumor activity of cyclophosphamide by changing tumor microenvironment

ObjectiveHe-Wei Granule (HWKL) is a modern product derived from the modified formulation of traditional Chinese medicine Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD), which remarkedly enhanced the anti-proliferation activity of cyclophosphamide (CTX) on HepG2 and SGC-7901 cell lines in vitro in our previous research. The aim of the study was to investigate the synergistic effects of HWKL and CTX using a transplanted H22 hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model. MethodsThe CTX-toxic-reducing efficacy of HWKL was evaluated by hematology indexes, organ indexes and marrow DNA detection. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, histopathology test, immunohistochemistry test and TUNEL staining were conducted. The efficacy of HWKL on the micro-vessel density (MVD) in tumor tissue was also evaluated by measuring CD34 level. ResultsHigh dose HWKL (6.75 g/kg) markedly attenuated CTX-induced hepatotoxicity and myelosuppression while significantly enhanced CTX anticancer efficacy in vivo. Further mechanism investigation suggested that high dose HWKL significantly increased cleaved Caspase 3 level and promoted apoptosis in tumor tissue by up-regulating Bax expression and down-regulating Bcl-2 and FasL expressions. Compared with CTX alone group, the decrease in LC-3B and Beclin 1 levels suggested that the autophagy in H22 carcinoma was significantly inhibited with addition of high dose HWKL. ELISA assay results indicated that the autophagy inhibition was achieved by decreasing p53 expression, blocking PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and recovering Th1/Th2 cytokine balance. In addition, CD34 and EGFR immunohistochemistry assay suggest that high dose HWKL could significantly decrease micro-vessel density (MVD) and inhibit angiogenesis in H22 carcinoma. ConclusionIt can be concluded that high-dose HWKL enhanced CTX efficacy by promoting apoptosis, inhibiting autophagy and angiogenesis in tumor tissue while significantly alleviated CTX-induced toxicity, and could be applied along with CTX in clinical treatment as a supplement agent.

Dimerization of Human Angiogenin and of Variants Involved in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Human Angiogenin (hANG, or ANG, 14.1 kDa) promotes vessel formation and is also called RNase 5 because it is included in the pancreatic-type ribonuclease (pt-RNase) super-family. Although low, its ribonucleolytic activity is crucial for angiogenesis in tumor tissues but also in the physiological development of the Central Nervous System (CNS) neuronal progenitors. Nevertheless, some ANG variants are involved in both neurodegenerative Parkinson disease (PD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Notably, some pt-RNases acquire new biological functions upon oligomerization. Considering neurodegenerative diseases correlation with massive protein aggregation, we analyzed the aggregation propensity of ANG and of three of its pathogenic variants, namely H13A, S28N, and R121C. We found no massive aggregation, but wt-ANG, as well as S28N and R121C variants, can form an enzymatically active dimer, which is called ANG-D. By contrast, the enzymatically inactive H13A-ANG does not dimerize. Corroborated by a specific cross-linking analysis and by the behavior of H13A-ANG that in turn lacks one of the two His active site residues necessary for pt-RNases to self-associate through the three-dimensional domain swapping (3D-DS), we demonstrate that ANG actually dimerizes through 3D-DS. Then, we deduce by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and modeling that ANG-D forms through the swapping of ANG N-termini. In light of these novelties, we can expect future investigations to unveil other ANG determinants possibly related with the onset and/or development of neurodegenerative pathologies.

Pazopanib in the advanced and rare subtypes of soft tissue sarcoma: Russian Sarcoma Group study.

e23528 Background: Sarcoma is a heterogeneous group of tumors that arise from connective tissue. The most frequent localizations of primary tumors are soft tissues and bones of the extremities, and the lungs is the most common localization of metastases. Pazopanib is an antineoplastic agent, multi-kinase inhibitor that retards angiogenesis in tumor tissues and has been shown to be effective in the treatment of patients with advanced sarcoma. Median progression-free survival was 4,6 months (95% CI 3,7–4,8) for pazopanib compared with 1,6 months (0,9–1,8) for placebo in the PALETTE clinical trial. This study designed to detect epidemiology data as well as the pazopanib efficiency for rare sarcoma subtypes. Methods: We collected data from 109 cases with 20 different sarcoma histotypes and 15 localizations, at N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology from 2018 till 2020. Disease was histologically confirmed by a sarcoma pathologist. The average age of patients was 47.8 years and the women and men ratio was about 2:1. Patients received pazopanib 800 mg once daily and passed control examinations every 2 or 3 months (CT/MRI). Treatment response was assessed by RECIST criteria. Results: The most frequent localizations of primary tumors were the soft tissues of the extremities (39.6%), the uterus (16.9%) and the retroperitoneum (13.2%). The main histological subtypes were leiomyosarcoma (33.6%) and synovial sarcoma (14.9%). There were also included such types like a embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing tumors, EHE, alveolar soft part sarcoma, PEComa, clear cell sarcoma, adamantinoma, solitary fibrous tumor, epithelioid sarcoma and myxoid liposarcoma. The majority of patients (61%) received more than 2 of therapy. The average duration of therapy was 7.5 months. Best tumor response by RECIST was as follows: complete response 0 (0%), partial response 2 (2%), stable disease 81 (88,3%), progression disease 25 (27,3%) cases. Median progression-free survival was 8 months (95% CI 6,7-9,2) for pazopanib. Median overall survival was not reached. Overall pazopanib was well tolerated, except one case with SAE. Conclusions: In this study we observed pazopanib efficiency in a rare for pazopanib sarcoma subtypes such as myxoid liposarcoma (1 PR), PEComa, adamantinoma, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor and Ewing tumors. Also our study confirms pazopanib long-term disease control in alveolar soft part sarcoma, clear cell sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma which explains median PFS 8 months.

Tie2-expressing monocytes as a novel angiogenesis-related cellular biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer.

To investigate the clinical value of Tie2-expressing monocytes (TEMs) in the early diagnosis of lung cancer and assess its correlation with angiogenesis, a total of 184 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 101 patients with benign pulmonary disease (BPD), and 77 healthy controls were enrolled in our study. The distribution of TEMs in lung tissue was determined by immunofluorescence staining. Lung microvascular density was assessed by immunohistochemical staining. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic value of TEM frequency. Patients with NSCLC were followed up for 26 months. We found that the TEM frequency in peripheral blood monocytes of patients with NSCLC was significantly greater than that in patients with BPD and healthy controls. TEM frequency showed a correlation with NSCLC recurrence. The majority of TEMs in tumor tissues were localized around blood vessels; tumoral TEM frequency showed a positive correlation with microvascular density. High percentage of TEMs in the peripheral blood was associated with poor overall survival. ROC curve analysis revealed the potential diagnostic value of circulating TEM frequency in NSCLC. Thus, we believe that TEM frequency is related to angiogenesis in tumor tissues and may serve as a diagnostic marker for NSCLC.

MiR-543 promotes tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer via modulating metastasis associated protein 1

ObjectiveThis study is aimed to explore the role of miR-543 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and verify whether miR-543 targets metastasis associated protein 1 (MTA1) to affect tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in NSCLC.MethodsFirstly, miR-543 mimic and inhibitor were transfected into A549 cells and H1299 cells. The cells proliferation was tested by MTT and clone formation. The cells apoptosis was analyzed by cytometry. Tube formation assay was used to measure the vascularization of cells. qRT-PCR and Western Blot were used to measure the MTA1 expression. Dual-luciferase assay was used to analyze whether miR-543 targets MTA1. Secondly, MTA1 mimic and inhibitor were transfected into cells to analyze the effect of MTA1 on proliferation and angiogenesis in NSCLC cells. Lastly, the nude mice were used to verify the effect of miR-543 on tumorigenesis and angiogeneisis in NSCLC via modulating MATA1.ResultsmiR-543 overexpression could apparently promote cells proliferation and angiogeneisis in NSCLC cells. Meanwhile, the MTA1 expression was increased after transfecting miR-543 mimic. Dual luciferase reporter assay revealed MTA1 was a downstream target of miR-543. Further studies showed that inhibition of MTA1 weakened the role of miR-543 overexpression in NSCLC cells. Vivo experiments revealed that miR-543 promoted cells proliferation and angiogenesis in tumor tissues via modulating MTA1.ConclusionmiR-543 could target MTA1 to promote tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in NSCLC via targeting MTA1.

Magnetic fields and angiogenesis

This review belongs to a special issue on magnetic surgery (using magnetic field in surgery), which has developed rapidly in the last few years and showed a great potential to be applied in numerous areas. While magnetic surgery has multiple advantages in surgical processes, including but not limited to shorten surgical procedure and duration, reduce inflammation and bleeding, it also adds another exposure source of relatively strong magnetic field to the human bodies. Consequently, concerns were raised regarding the potential adverse effects of these magnets on our bodies. Moreover, people have increased opportunities to be exposed to various magnetic fields generated by magnetic resonance imaging in hospitals, household magnets, cell phones and power lines, therefore, it is essential to investigate the effects of magnetic fields on human bodies. This review focuses on the effects of magnetic fields on the growth of blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes including organ growth and repair, and therefore plays important roles not only in surgical related processes, such as postoperative recovery, but also in other processes such as development and tumor growth. Angiogenesis is regulated by a balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic signals, which is frequently altered in various malignant, inflammatory, ischemic, infectious, and immune disorders. Many studies have investigated the influence of magnetic field on angiogenesis in the last few decades. Here in this review, we summarize, analyze and compare magnetic field parameters, such as strength, gradient and frequency, experimental procedures, biological samples examined and the detailed experimental results. Although there is still no consensus on the effects at cellular level, which is largely caused by a lack of systematic research on different magnetic field parameters, it is interesting that we found the angiogenesis of tumor tissues can be inhibited by both static and dynamic magnetic fields at animal level. In contrast, long-term or high-intensity static magnetic field treatment of non-tumor tissue seems to be able to promote angiogenesis at animal level. Since the experimental evidences are still inadequate, more systematic investigations are needed to further examine this correlation in the future. We also discuss the effect of magnetic field combined with chemotherapy and other treatment methods on angiogenesis and summarize the potential mechanisms of magnetic field on angiogenesis. It has been shown that static magnetic fields can affect multiple aspects of the cell, such as gene expression, cell proliferation, antioxidant defense system, as well as calcium levels. People speculate that magnetic field may regulate angiogenesis by affecting multiple signal transduction pathways including the calcium signaling pathway. Meanwhile there are also studies showing that other molecules could be involved in this process, including ROS (reactive oxygen species, ROS), ERK and membrane-bound receptors. Moreover, the mechanism of the differential effects of magnetic fields on angiogenesis in tumor tissue and non-tumor tissue are still not clear. Although physiological and pathological angiogenesis share many commonalities, there are also multiple different regulation pathways between angiogenesis of tumor vs. non-tumor tissues, such as the dependency of VEGF. In-depth investigations are warranted to better understand the effects and underlying mechanisms of varying magnetic fields with different parameters on angiogenesis in normal and pathological conditions. This review will not only help people to further understand the biological effects of magnetic fields, provide experimental basis for the safe application of magnetic surgery technology, but also lay a foundation for other potential medical applications of magnetic fields in the future.

Celastrol Suppresses Glioma Vasculogenic Mimicry Formation and Angiogenesis by Blocking the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway

Angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) are thought to be the predominant processes ensuring tumor blood supply during the growth and metastasis of glioblastoma (GBM). Celastrol has potential anti-glioma effects, however the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclarified. Recent studies have shown that the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway is closely related to angiogenesis and VM formation. In the present study, we have demonstrated, for the first time, that celastrol eliminated VM formation by blocking this signaling pathway in glioma cells. By the treatment of celastrol, tumor growth was suppressed, tight junction and basal lamina structures in tumor microvasculature were disarranged in U87 glioma orthotopic xenografts in nude mice. Periodic acid Schiff (PAS)-CD31 staining revealed that celastrol inhibited both VM and angiogenesis in tumor tissues. Additionally, celastrol reduced the expression levels of the angiogenesis-related proteins CD31, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) 2, angiopoietin (Ang) 2 and VEGFA, VM-related proteins ephrin type-A receptor (EphA) 2, and vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin. Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α, phosphorylated PI3K, Akt, and mTOR were also downregulated by treatment with celastrol. In vitro, we further demonstrated that celastrol inhibited the growth, migration, and invasion of U87 and U251 cells, disrupted VM formation, and blocked the activity of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR. Collectively, our data suggest that celastrol inhibits VM formation and angiogenesis likely by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PLEOMORPHIC ADENOMAS OF SALIVARY GLANDS (ANALYSIS OF THE SURGICAL MATERIAL)

The aim of the study is to reveal the morphological features of pleomorphic adenomas of the salivary glands during a comprehensive examination of the surgical material. Materials and methods: Surgical material from 30 patients with pleomorphic adenomas of the salivary glands was studied. Microspecimens stained with hematoxylin and eosin were studied, using an Olympus BX-41 microscope (Japan) with subsequent processing with the Olympus DP-soft version 3.1 software, which was used to conduct a morphometric study. By morphometry in the tumor tissue, the specific volumes of the parenchyma and stroma, the thickness of the capsule located between the tumor tissue and the tissue of the salivary gland were determined; the absolute number of vessels in the field of view of the microscope was counted at × 100 magnification. Results: Comprehensive morphological analysis of the surgical material of removed neoplasms of the salivary glands has showed that mesenchymal (15 cases, 50.0%) and mixed (10 cases, 33.3%) variants of pleomorphic adenomas are more common, and less often epithelial variants (5 cases, 16.7%). Pleomorphic adenoma is characterized by a different ratio of the epithelial (parenchymal) and mesenchymal (stromal) components forming this tumor, structural diversity and heterogeneity of the structure of these components, which do not have clear boundaries and are mixed with each other. A characteristic feature of pleomorphic adenoma is also the combination in each case of different types of epithelial cells and the structures that they form, as well as areas of various differentiation of the mesenchymal component. Mesenchymal and mixed variants of pleomorphic adenomas, in comparison with the epithelial variant, are more prone to progression and recurrence, as evidenced by our identified active processes of angiogenesis in tumor tissue, frequent tumor invasion of the capsule, thinning of the capsule or the absence of the capsule, less pronounced infiltration of the capsule by immune cells. Conclusions: The morphological features of mesenchymal, mixed and epithelial variants of pleomorphic adenomas of the salivary glands revealed by the authors should be takeninto account by clinicians during choosing the tactics for treating the patient, which will undoubtedly help to reduce the incidence of tumor malignization and its recurrence.

Effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine and receptors in tumorigenesis

The role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) has attracted more and more attention in the development of tumor. In addition to the synthesis of 5-HT by enterochromaffin cells, some tumor cells and immune cells can also secrete 5-HT, and there are different 5-HT receptors on the surface of these cells. 5-HT plays multiple biological effects through activating different receptors. 5-HT promotes the proliferation and invasion of tumor and induces the angiogenesis of tumor tissues through activating its corresponding receptors, such as 5-HT1D, and so on. Furthermore, various 5-HT receptors are expressed on the surface of immune cells. On the one hand, physiological doses of 5-HT promote the proliferation and secretion of immune cells. On the other hand, pathologic 5-HT has an effect on inducing the differentiation of immune cells in the direction of immunosuppression, thus participating in the occurrence and development of tumor. Key words: Serotonin; Receptors; Immunity; Neoplasms