Affiliation of authors: E.-J. Yeo, Y.-S. Cho, J. Kim, M.-S. Kim, J.-W. Park (Department of Pharmacology, BK21 Human Life Sciences), Y.-S. Chun, J.-C. Lee (Human Genome Research Institute, Cancer Research Institute), Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Correspondence to: Jong-Wan Park, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul 110799, Korea (e-mail: parkjw{at}plaza.snu.ac.kr).
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ABSTRACT |
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INTRODUCTION |
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One such target is hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). HIF-1 is a key transcription factor that regulates the blood supply through its effects on the expression of VEGF (4). The biologic activity of HIF-1, a heterodimer composed of HIF-1 and HIF-1
subunits (5), depends on the amount of HIF-1
, which is tightly regulated by oxygen tension. Under normoxic conditions, the HIF-1
protein is unstable. The instability is regulated, in part, by the binding to the von HippelLindau tumor suppressor protein (6). This binding occurs after the hydroxylation of the two HIF-1
proline residues by HIF-prolyl hydroxylases (79). The von HippelLindau protein is one of the components of the multiprotein ubiquitinE3ligase complex, which mediates the ubiquitylation of HIF-1
, targeting it for proteasomal proteolysis (10). Under hypoxic conditions, however, proline hydroxylation is inhibited, eliminating binding between HIF-1
and the von HippelLindau protein, and allowing HIF-1
to become stable.
A growing body of evidence indicates that HIF-1 contributes to tumor progression and metastasis. In human tumors, HIF-1 is overexpressed as a result of intratumoral hypoxia and genetic alterations affecting key oncogenes (HER2, FRAP, H-RAS, and c-SRC) and tumor suppressor genes (von HippelLindau, PTEN, and p53) (11). Immunohistochemical analyses show that HIF-1
is present at higher levels in human tumors than in normal tissues (12). Moreover, the expression of HIF-1
in various solid tumors has been associated with tumor aggressiveness, vascularity, treatment failure, and mortality (13). In addition, tumor growth and angiogenesis in xenograft tumors also depends on HIF-1 activity and on the expression level of HIF-1
(14).
While searching for an antiangiogenic agent that would inhibit HIF-1 activity, we identified a novel pharmacologic action of YC-1. YC-1, 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole, inhibits platelet aggregation and vascular contraction by activating soluble guanylyl cyclase and was originally developed as a potential therapeutic agent for circulation disorders (15,16). However, we found that YC-1 inhibits HIF-1 activity in vitro (17). YC-1 completely blocks HIF-1 expression at the post-transcriptional level and consequently inhibits the transcription factor activity of HIF-1 in hepatoma cells cultured under hypoxic conditions, suggesting that these effects of YC-1 are likely to be linked with the oxygen-sensing pathway and not with the activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase. In this study, we tested whether YC-1 targets HIF-1 and tumor angiogenesis in vivo.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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YC-1 was purchased from AG Scientific Inc. (San Diego, CA), resuspended in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at a stock concentration of 120 mg/mL, and stored at 30 °C. All culture media and fetal bovine serum (FBS) were purchased from Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY.
Cell Culture
The Hep3B hepatoma, Caki-1 renal carcinoma, SiHa cervical carcinoma, and SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cell lines were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC; Manassas, VA). The NCI-H87 stomach carcinoma cell line was obtained from the Korean Cell Line Bank (Seoul, Korea). Hep3B cells were cultured in -modified Eagle medium; Caki-1, SiHa, and SK-N-MC cells, in Dulbeccos modified Eagle medium; and NCI-H87 cells, in RPMI-1640 medium. All culture media were supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FBS, penicillin (100 U/mL), and streptomycin (100 µg/mL). All cells were grown in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2 at 37 °C, in which the oxygen tension in the incubator (model 9108MS2; Vision Sci Co., Seoul, Korea) was held at either 140 mmHg (20% O2, v/v; normoxic conditions) or 7 mmHg (1% O2, v/v; hypoxic conditions). The natural killer (NK)-sensitive YAC-1 mouse lymphoma cell line was obtained from the ATCC and maintained in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS, 1% L-glutamine, 1% nonessential amino acids, 1% sodium pyruvate, penicillin (100 U/mL), and streptomycin (100 µg/mL).
Xenografts of Human Tumors
Male nude (BALB/cAnNCrjnu/nu) mice were purchased from Charles River Japan Inc. (Shin-Yokohama, Japan). The animals were housed in a pathogen-free room under controlled temperature and humidity. All animal procedures were performed according to the established procedures of the Seoul National University Laboratory Animal Maintenance Manual.
Eighty mice aged 78 weeks were injected with tumor cells for the xenograft experiments. Sixty-nine mice bearing tumors were used for the experiments; the other 11 mice were excluded because of technical problems associated with the injection or because of lack of tumor growth. Viable Hep3B cells (5 x 106) were injected subcutaneously into the flanks of 25 of the 69 mice. The mice were immediately randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group (n = 12) was a control group and received the vehicle (DMSO). The second group (n = 7) received daily intraperitoneal injections of YC-1 (30 µg/g) beginning the day after the injection of Hep3B cells and continuing for 2 weeks. The third group (n = 6) received daily intraperitoneal injections of YC-1 (30 µg/g) for 2 weeks after the Hep3B tumors measured 100150 mm3, after approximately 40 days.
NCI-H87, SiHa, SK-N-MC, or Caki-1 tumor cells (5 x 106) were injected subcutaneously into the flanks of the other 44 mice. Of the mice in each group, 13, 10, 10, and 11, respectively, developed tumors. The tumor-bearing mice in each group were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. After the tumors reached an approximate volume of 100150 mm3, the mice in the experimental group received daily intraperitoneal injections of YC-1 (30 µg/g) for 2 weeks. The mice in the control groups received daily intraperitoneal injections of DMSO.
For all mice, tumors were measured in two dimensions with calipers every 2 or 3 days, and the tumor volumes were calculated using the following formula: volume = a x b2/2, where a is the width at the widest point of the tumor and b is the width perpendicular to a. The results from individual mice were plotted as average tumor volume versus time.
Semiquantitative Reverse TranscriptionPolymerase Chain Reaction
To quantify mRNAs for HIF-1, HIF-1-regulated genes (VEGF, enolase 1, aldolase A), and
-actin (used as a control), we performed a highly sensitive, semiquantitative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RTPCR), as described previously (18). Total RNAs were isolated from cultured cells or grafted tumors using TRIzol (Life Technologies). After we verified the RNA quality on a 1% denaturing agarose gel, 1 µg of total RNA was added to a 50-µL RTPCR reaction mixture, containing 5 µCi [
-32P]dCTP (NEN, Boston, MA) and 250 nM of each primer pair. The RTPCR was performed using one cycle of reverse transcription at 48 °C for 1 hour and then 18 PCR cycles, in which one cycle consisted of a denaturation step at 94 °C for 30 seconds, an annealing step at 53 °C for 30 seconds, and an elongation step at 68 °C for 1 minute. The resulting PCR fragments (5 µL) were electrophoresed through a 4% polyacrylamide gel at 120 V in a 0.3x TrisborateEDTA (TBE) buffer at 4 °C. The gels were dried and then autoradiographed. The intensity of each PCR product was determined with a Sony XC-77 CCD camera and a Microcomputer Imaging Device model 4 (MCID-M4) image analysis system (Imaging Research Inc., St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada).
The nucleotide sequences of the primer pairs (5' to 3') were AACTTTCTGCTGTCTTGG and TTTGGTCTGCATTCACAT for VEGF, GTCATCCTCTTCCATGAGAC and AGGTAGAT GTGGTGGTCACT for aldolase A, AAGAAACTGAACGTCA CAGA and GATCTTCGATAGACACCACT for enolase 1, CCCCAGATTCAGGATCAGACA and CCATCATGTTCCAT TTTTCGC for HIF-1, and AAGAGAGGCATCCTCACCCT and ATCTCTTGCTCGAAGTCCAG for
-actin.
Immunoblotting and Immunoprecipitation
Immunoblotting was used to detect HIF-1 protein in cultured cells, as described (17). Cells were centrifuged at 1000g for 5 minutes at 4 °C and washed twice with ice-cold phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Cells were then resuspended in 10 packed-cell volumes of a lysis buffer consisting of 10 mM Tris [pH 7.4], 130 mM NaCl, 2 mM EDTA, 1% Nonidet P-40, 0.5 mM dithiothreitol, and 0.5 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Proteins (20 µg) in the cell extract were separated on 6.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gels and then transferred to Immobilon-P membranes (Millipore, Bedford, MA). Membranes were blocked with 5% nonfat milk in Tris-buffered saline (TBS) containing 0.1% Tween-20 (TTBS) at room temperature for 1 hour and then incubated overnight at 4 °C with rabbit anti-HIF-1
(18) diluted 1 : 1000 in 5% nonfat milk in TTBS. Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit antiserum (Zymed Laboratories, Inc., South San Francisco, CA) was used as a secondary antibody (1 : 5000 dilution in 5% nonfat milk in TTBS, 2-hour incubation), and the antigenantibody complexes were visualized by using an Enhanced Chemiluminescence Plus kit (Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, NJ). Protein loading was controlled by probing the membranes for
-actin protein.
VEGF, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-A, PDGF-B, and -actin proteins in tumor tissue were detected using a mouse monoclonal anti-VEGF antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA) at a dilution of 1 : 1000, a mouse monoclonal anti-PDGF-A antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) at a dilution of 1 : 5000, a rabbit polyclonal anti-PDGF-B antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) at a dilution of 1 : 1000, a mouse monoclonal anti-
-actin antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) at a dilution of 1 : 5000 followed by incubation with a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse or anti-rabbit antiserum (Zymed Laboratories).
For the immunoprecipitation of HIF-1 in tumor tissues, tissue lysates in the lysis buffer (150 µg of protein) were incubated with 10 µL of the rabbit anti-HIF-1
antiserum overnight at 4 °C and then incubated with protein A-Sepharose beads (Amersham Biosciences) at a dilution of 1 : 100 for 2 hours. After the antigenantibodyprotein A complexes were washed extensively with the lysis buffer, the immunocomplexes were eluted by boiling for 3 minutes in a sample buffer containing 2% SDS and 10 mM dithiothreitol, subjected to SDS-PAGE (SDSpolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), and then immunoblotted using a rat anti-HIF-1
antibody (19).
Conditioned Media and VEGF Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Hep3B cells were plated in a six-well plate at a density of 1 x 105 cells/well in -modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FBS and incubated overnight. Cells were treated with YC-1 (0.0110 µM) or vehicle (DMSO) for 5 minutes and were then subjected to normoxia or hypoxia for 24 hours. VEGF levels in the conditioned media were quantified by using the Quantikine human VEGF Immunoassay kit (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN) according to the manufacturers recommended protocol. The VEGF concentrations were quantified by comparison with a series of VEGF standard samples included in the assay kit.
Tumor Histology and Immunohistochemistry for HIF-1, CD31, and Asialo GM1
The day after the last injection of YC-1 or vehicle, the mice were killed, and the tumors were removed. The tumors were fixed with formalin and embedded in paraffin. Serial sections (6-µm thick) were cut from each paraffin block. One section was stained with hematoxylineosin (H&E) for histologic assessment. Other sections were immunochemically stained for HIF-1, for the endothelial cell marker CD31, or for the NK cell marker asialo GM1. The sections were deparaffinized, rehydrated through a graded alcohol series, and heated in 10 mM sodium citrate (pH 6.0) for 5 minutes in a microwave to retrieve the antigens. Nonspecific sites were blocked with a solution containing 2.5% bovine serum albumin (Sigma-Aldrich Corp., St. Louis, MO) and 2% normal goat serum (Life Technologies) in PBS (pH 7.4) for 1 hour, and the sections were then incubated overnight at 4 °C with rabbit polyclonal anti-CD31 antibody (1 : 100 dilution in the blocking solution; Santa Cruz Biotechnology), rabbit polyclonal anti-asialo GM1 antibody (Wako Chemicals, Chuo-Ku, Osaka, Japan; 1 : 100 dilution in the blocking solution), or rat anti-HIF-1
antibody (1 : 100 dilution in the blocking solution), as described previously (20). Negative control sections were incubated with the diluent (blocking solution) in the absence of any primary antibodies. The sections were then washed and incubated with appropriate biotinylated secondary antibodies, and the avidinbiotinhorseradish peroxidase complex was used to localize the bound antibodies, with diaminobenzidine as the final chromogen. All immunostained sections were lightly counterstained with hematoxylin.
For histologic assessment, HIF-1-positive cells, CD31-positive microvessels, and necrosis were identified at magnifications of x200, x100, and x40, respectively, and examined using a Sony XC-77 CCD camera and a Microcomputer Imaging Device model 4 (MCID-M4) image analysis system. The expression of HIF-1
and vessel density was measured by counting the numbers of immunopositive cells and vessel profiles (identified by CD31 staining) per square millimeter in each image. The extent of necrosis was measured by calculating the necrotic area per 6.25 mm2. We analyzed 10 or more different sections per xenograft tumor.
NK Cell Activity
Splenic lymphocytes from 12 nude mice were used to determine the effect of YC-1 on NK cell activity in vitro and in vivo. Individual spleens were homogenized in PBS by passing tissues through steel mesh using a plunger and centrifuged over a Ficoll-Paque (Amersham Biosciences) gradient at 400g at room temperature for 30 minutes to isolate the lymphocyte population. The lymphocytes were removed and washed three times in PBS. NK cell activity in the total lymphocyte population was assessed using a 4-hour 51Cr-release assay with NK-sensitive YAC-1 cells as the target cell population. The YAC-1 cells were labeled with sodium chromate (Na251CrO4) at 0.25 mCi/mL for 1.5 hours at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2, as described (21).
To examine the in vitro effect of YC-1 on NK cell activity, splenic lymphocytes (6.25 x 104 to 5 x 105) were incubated with YC-1 (0.110 µM) or DMSO for 24 hours and then incubated at the indicated effector : target cell ratio with 1 x 104 51Cr-labeled YAC-1 cells in 96-well round-bottom plates at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2. After 4 hours, the plates were centrifuged at 200g at 4 °C for 10 minutes, and 100-µL samples of medium were removed and counted for 1 minute in a gamma counter. Splenic lymphocytes taken from a single mouse were used in each experiment. Each assay was repeated three times, and the average value is the result from one experiment. Results are expressed as the mean of the average values from four separate experiments and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
To examine the in vivo effect of YC-1 on NK cell activity, mice received a daily intraperitoneal injection of DMSO (n = 4) or of YC-1 (30 µg/g; n = 4) for 2 weeks. Splenic lymphocytes were isolated from each mouse and tested immediately for NK cell activity. The spontaneous release of 51Cr from YAC-1 cells was usually lower than 10% of the total 51Cr loaded. NK cell activity was calculated as follows: (experimental release minus spontaneous release)/(total release minus spontaneous release) x 100. Each assay was repeated three times, and the average value is the result from one experiment. Results are expressed as the mean of four separate experiments and 95% CIs.
Statistical Analysis
All data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2000 software (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA). The MannWhitney U test (SPSS, version 10.0; Statistical Package for Social Sciences, Chicago, IL) was used to compare VEGF levels in culture media, the number of HIF-1-positive cells, the number of vessels, NK cell activities, and tumor volumes (NCI-H87, SiHa, SK-N-MC, Caki-1) between the control and the YC-1 treated groups. Tumor volumes in the control and two YC-1-treated Hep3B groups were compared using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncans multiple range test. Differences were considered statistically significant when P<.05. All statistical tests were two-sided.
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RESULTS |
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Previously, we found that YC-1 treatment inhibits HIF-1 protein expression and decreases the mRNA levels of erythropoietin and VEGF in Hep3B cells cultured under hypoxic conditions. To investigate the inhibitory effect of YC-1 on HIF-1-mediated hypoxic responses, Hep3B cells were treated with YC-1 under hypoxic conditions. The HIF-1
protein level increased in cells cultured under these conditions for 4 hours without YC-1 but underwent a dose-dependent decrease in cells cultured with YC-1 (Fig. 1
, A). The expression of several HIF-1-regulated genes (VEGF, aldolase A, and enolase 1) showed a dose-dependent decrease in cells cultured with YC-1 for 16 hours, whereas the expression of
-actin mRNA was not affected (Fig. 1
, B). The HIF-1
mRNA level was also relatively unchanged in cells cultured with YC-1, suggesting that YC-1-mediated decrease in HIF-1
protein expression occurs at a post-transcriptional level.
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We next examined whether the effects of YC-1 were specific to Hep3B cells by assessing the expression of HIF-1 protein and VEGF mRNA in other tumor cell lines (NCI-H87, SiHa, SK-N-MC, and Caki-1) cultured under hypoxic conditions in the absence or presence of YC-1. HIF-1
protein and VEGF mRNA were induced in all cell lines cultured under hypoxic conditions in the absence of YC-1 (Fig. 2
). The levels of HIF-1
protein and VEGF mRNA were dose-dependently reduced in cells cultured under hypoxic conditions in the presence of YC-1 (Fig. 2
). These results confirm that YC-1 inhibits the HIF-1-mediated induction of hypoxia-inducible genes, regardless of the tumor cell type.
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Because of the observed in vitro effects of YC-1, we investigated whether YC-1 inhibits angiogenesis in solid tumors by suppressing the activity of HIF-1 and whether YC-1 inhibits tumor growth in vivo. Mice injected with human tumor cells were treated daily with YC-1 for 2 weeks. Tumors in YC-1-treated mice were visibly smaller than those in vehicle-treated mice (Fig. 3, A). The change in tumor size was measured and plotted as average tumor size versus time (Fig. 3
, B). Tumor growth was minimal in mice treated with YC-1 the day after the tumor cells were injected (the last day of the experiment: mean = 422 mm3, 95% CI = 283 to 561 mm3; P<.001 versus vehicle-treated group, mean = 1082 mm3, 95% CI = 880 to 1284 mm3) and was halted in mice treated with YC-1 after the tumors had become established (mean = 126 mm3, 95% CI = 97 to 155 mm3; P<.001 versus vehicle-treated group). NCI-H87 (Fig. 3
, C), SiHa (Fig. 3
, D), SK-N-MC (Fig. 3
, E), and Caki-1 (Fig. 3
, F) xenograft tumors were also statistically significantly smaller in mice treated with YC-1 than in mice treated with the vehicle (P<.01 for all comparisons). These results indicate that YC-1 effectively inhibits tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice.
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To determine the mechanism by which YC-1 inhibits tumor growth, we examined Hep3B tumors morphologically and biochemically. H&E-stained tumor sections from vehicle-treated mice revealed well-developed blood vessels containing red blood cells and several mitotic figures (Fig. 4, A). By contrast, tumor sections from YC-1-treated mice revealed frequent acinus formation without well-developed blood vessels (Fig. 4
, A).
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Because HIF-1 is important in angiogenesis, we next assessed HIF-1 expression in tumor sections from vehicle- and YC-1-treated mice (Fig. 4
, C). Hep3B tumors from vehicle-treated mice showed HIF-1
protein in both the nucleus and perinuclear areas but only in relatively hypoxic regions away from blood vessels (Fig. 4
, C). By contrast, tumor sections from YC-1-treated mice showed no HIF-1
-immunoreactive cells (Fig. 4
, C).
We quantified the numbers of HIF-1-positive cells and CD31-positive vessels in tumor sections from vehicle- and YC-1-treated mice (Fig. 5
). Regardless of tumor cell origin, the expression of HIF-1
protein and blood vessel formation was statistically significantly lower in mice treated with YC-1 for 2 weeks than in vehicle-treated mice (P<.01 for all comparisons) (Fig. 5
).
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To confirm the effects of YC-1 on HIF-1 expression in Hep3B tumors, we isolated the HIF-1
protein by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. HIF-1
was detected by immunoprecipitation in tumor lysates incubated with anti-HIF-1
antibody, but not in those incubated with a preimmune serum (data not shown). The level of HIF-1
protein expression was markedly lower in YC-1-treated tumors than in vehicle-treated tumors (Fig. 6
, A). In addition, levels of VEGF protein and mRNA, and of aldolase and enolase mRNAs were also lower in YC-1-treated tumors than in vehicle-treated tumors (Fig. 6
, A and B). The decreased expression of VEGF, aldolase, and enolase may in turn account for the blocked angiogenesis and the growth retardation observed in YC-1-treated tumors.
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Effect of YC-1 on NK Cell Function
The athymic nude mouse, which has no thymus-dependent immunologic functions, is a useful model for assaying tumor growth potential in vivo. However, this mouse model has been shown to have thymus-independent NK cells, which are lymphoid cells with cytolytic activity capable of lysing tumors in the absence of previous stimulation (23). Thus, to rule out the possibility that YC-1 inhibits tumor growth by activating NK cells, we examined whether YC-1 affected the cytolytic activity of NK cells in vitro and in vivo. Splenic lymphocytes incubated with YC-1 in vitro had cytolytic activity against NK-cell sensitive YAC-1 cells that was comparable with that from splenic lymphocytes incubated without YC-1 (Fig. 7, A). Moreover, splenic lymphocytes from mice treated with YC-1 for 2 weeks had cytolytic activity that was comparable with that from vehicle-treated mice (Fig. 7
, B).
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DISCUSSION |
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In addition to angiogenesis, changes in energy metabolism are another important adaptation process for cell survival under hypoxia. In hypoxic conditions, oxidative phosphorylation is impaired, and several glycolytic enzymes must be induced to maintain the basal level of adenosine 5'-triphosphate required for cell survival (27). Therefore, the inhibitory action of YC-1 on the expression of the aldolase and enolase genes in tumors probably inhibits cell survival under hypoxia and may promote cell death in hypoxic areas. However, no differences were found in the percentage of necrosis in vehicle- and YC-1-treated tumors, suggesting that the decreased expression of the glycolytic enzymes may not contribute substantially to tumor growth inhibition. We conclude that YC-1 appears to halt tumor growth by blocking angiogenesis and not by a direct cytotoxic effect on tumor cells.
YC-1 was developed as an activator of soluble guanylyl cyclase (28). It increases the catalytic rate of the enzyme and sensitizes enzyme activation by nitric oxide or carbon monoxide (29). In vivo, YC-1 treatment inhibited platelet-rich thrombosis (15) and decreased mean arterial pressure (30), which were associated with increased cGMP levels in platelet and vascular smooth muscle cells. Thus, we anticipate that, at the dosage used for cancer chemotherapy (30 µg/g), YC-1 would result in increased bleeding time and hypotension. To develop YC-1 as a new anticancer agent, these untoward effects should be carefully evaluated. In our opinion, because these effects are clinically manageable, these potential disadvantages should not restrict the clinical use of YC-1 as an anticancer therapy. Moreover, YC-1 has merit as a cancer chemotherapy agent because of its low cytotoxicity. No serious toxicity was observed in any of the nude mice treated with YC-1 over a 2-week period (data not shown). Furthermore, YC-1 did not suppress the cytolytic activity of splenic lymphocytes in vitro or in vivo. Thus, we believe that YC-1 is worth investigating further for clinical applications in cancer therapy.
In summary, we tested whether YC-1 could target HIF-1 and inhibit tumor angiogenesis in vivo. We confirmed the inhibitory effects of YC-1 on the expression of HIF-1 and on the induction of VEGF, aldolase A, and enolase 1 in cancer cells cultured under hypoxic conditions. In vivo, treatment with YC-1 halted the growth of xenograft tumors originating from Hep3B, Caki-1, NCI-H87, SiHa, and SK-N-MC cells. Tumors from YC-1-treated mice showed fewer blood vessels and lower expression of HIF-1
protein and of HIF-1-regulated genes than tumors from vehicle-treated mice. These results suggest that YC-1 is an inhibitor of HIF-1 that halts tumor growth by blocking tumor angiogenesis and tumor adaptation to hypoxia.
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NOTES |
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Manuscript received September 20, 2002; revised January 16, 2003; accepted January 28, 2003.
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