血管能抑素,一种新的血管生成抑制因子

血管能抑素(canstatin)是新近发现的血管生成抑制因子,在体外能抑制血管内皮增殖与迁移,并诱导其凋亡,在体内可抑制肿瘤生长。血管能抑素的N端与C端均有抗血管生成和抑制内皮细胞增殖的作用．而N末端诱导内皮细胞的凋亡活性明显高于C末端。血管能抑素能抑制Akt、FAK的磷酸化。血管能抑素诱导的细胞凋亡与PI3K／Akt信号传导通路的抑制作用有关。     

内皮抑素在新生血管形成相关疾病中的作用机制研究进展

新血管形成是许多生理、病理过程的关键步骤,受血管形成促进因子和抑制因子的调节。内皮抑素是最重要的血管形成抑制因子之一,可在体外抑制血管内皮细胞的增殖、迁移和血管化,在动物模型中抑制新血管形成,对新生血管形成相关疾病,特别是肿瘤有治疗作用。关于内皮抑素抑制新血管形成的分子机制尚无定论,已有线索表明,它可通过与VEGF、MMP-2、整合素以及VEGF受体KDR等相互作用,从而抑制内皮细胞增殖、迁移或通过多种途径促进内皮细胞凋亡。本就内皮抑素作用的分子机制,及其作用于新血管形成相关疾病的最新研究成果进行综述。     

内皮抑素及其在抗肿瘤中的应用

内皮抑素是一种抗血管生成的抑制因子,它特异性地作用于新生微血管的内皮细胞,其水平与肿瘤血管生成有着明显的相关性。体内外的研究均表明,内皮抑素具有无毒副作用、不容易产生耐药性和易达到有效药物浓度等优点。我们简要综述了内皮抑素的特性、作用机制,及其在抗肿瘤应用等方面的研究进展。     

内皮抑素抗肿瘤血管生成的分子机制

内皮抑素(endostatin)是目前广泛关注的血管生成抑制剂,能特异性地抑制内皮细胞的增殖和迁移,在体内具有良好的抗肿瘤效果。该分子的抗肿瘤作用可能与金属蛋白酶活性、信号通路分子、整合素、原肌球蛋白及黏附受体有关。     

人脐静脉血管内皮细胞的分离、培养、鉴定及试验研究

血管内皮细胞体外培养,在血管再生、新血管生成机理、内皮细胞在心血管系统疾病中的作用、内皮细胞与造血的关系等方面的研究中有很高的应用价值。本研究借鉴了前人的工作,建立了胶原酶灌流消化获得人脐静脉血管内皮细胞并进行体外培养的方法,探讨了影响人脐静脉血管内皮细胞（HUVEC）分离培养的影响因素。同时应用建立的HUVEC体外培养进行了内皮抑素的抑制活性检测,证明了内皮抑素对于激活增殖的HUVEC的抑制作用,为今后的试验研究打下了基础。     

内皮抑素对人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUVEC) 及体外微血管 模型的作用及其可能的机制

目的：探讨内皮抑素对人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVEC）及体外微血管模型的作用及其可能的机制。方法：1．MTT法检测不同浓度（10～50μg／ml）内皮抑素作用72h和30μg／ml内皮抑素作用不同时间（24～72h）对HUVEC细胞的影响;2、电镜观察HUVEC细胞超微结构的变化;3．光镜下观察内皮抑素（30μg／ml）对体外人造血管模型的影响。结果：1．MTT检测显示,内皮抑素（20～50μg／ml）能抑制HUVEC细胞的增殖（P〈0．05,P〈0．01）,具有剂量-时间依赖性。2．电镜观察,HUVEC细胞内皮抑素作用组均出现凋亡改变。3．光镜观察,内皮抑素能抑制新生血管的形成,并能破坏新生的血管网。结论：内皮抑素能抑制人脐静脉血管内皮细胞HUVEC的增殖,并具有时间一剂量依赖性,机制可能为诱导细胞凋亡。提示,内皮抑素可能通过诱导HUVEC的凋亡抑制其增殖,并能破坏新生的血管。内皮抑素可能以此抑制机体肿瘤的生长与转移。     

鼠源休眠蛋白具有抑制内皮细胞增殖和诱导细胞凋亡的活性

内皮抑素 (endostatin)是最近发现的一种具有抑制血管生长的蛋白质。休眠蛋白 (restin)是内皮抑素的同源蛋白质 ,最早由Ramchandran等人发现 ,它来源于胶原蛋白XV的羧端非胶原蛋白结构域 (NC1)。为了研究鼠源休眠蛋白对内皮细胞生长的影响 ,利用RT PCR从鼠肌肉中扩增出它的基因 ,克隆入原核表达载体pQE32。诱导后 ,重组蛋白质以包涵体形式高效表达 ,表达量约占菌体总蛋白质的 6 0 %～ 70 %。重组蛋白质经纯化复性后 ,可以特异地抑制bFGF刺激的牛主动脉内皮细胞的增殖 ,但是休眠蛋白的抑制活性比内皮抑素活性稍低。流式细胞仪检测发现 ,休眠蛋白可以引起内皮细胞的细胞周期的改变 ,并且引起细胞凋亡     

肿瘤生长抑制因子—血管抑素和内皮抑素

血管生成是肿瘤生长转移过程中的一个关键环节,因此控制血管生成成为抑制肿瘤生长的重要途径之一。目前已发现了许多血管生成抑制因子,尤以血管抑素和内皮抑素最为引人瞩目。综述了两种肿瘤生长抑制因子的发现、分子结构、生物学活性等,尤其侧重于它们抗肿瘤作用的实验研究。血管抑素与内皮抑素的发现与研究为恶性肿瘤的治疗开辟了新的道路。     

血管内皮生长因子在乳腺癌淋巴道转移中作用的研究进展

血管内皮生长因子(VSGF)是一种重要的血管生成刺激因子,是特异作用于血管内皮细胞、上调血管生成的重要因子,能刺激血管内皮细胞增殖、迁移和诱导血管生成,其家族中VEGF-C、VEGF-D和VEGFR-3在乳腺癌淋巴道转移中起重要作用,可以作为乳腺癌患者的独立预后判断因素.以VEGF为靶点的抗血管化治疗成为治疗乳腺癌的新方法,通过对VEGF信号通路的抑制是目前抗癌治疗研究热点之一.     

趋化因子在血管生成中的作用

趋化因子可影响血管生成,或通过对内皮细胞的趋化作用,引起血管内皮细胞增殖,毛细血管形成而促进血管生成;或通过抑制多种促血管生成因子活性而发挥抑制血管生成的作用。趋化因子和其他多种血管生成相关性因子组成网络,共同参与血管生成的调控。此外,CXC簇趋化因子SDF－1α也参与胃肠血管的发育过程。     

Inhibition of angiogenic differentiation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells by diallyl disulfide (DADS)

Angiogenesis is a crucial step in the growth and metastasis of cancers. The activation of endothelial cells and their further behaviour are very critical during angiogenesis. We analyzed the effect of diallyl disulfide (DADS) on angiogenesis in in vitro models using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). DADS significantly inhibited endothelial cell migration, invasion and tube formation. (3)H-thymidine proliferation assay clearly showed the inhibitory effect of DADS on the proliferation of HUVECs in vitro. The role of metalloproteinases has been shown to be important in angiogenesis; therefore, zymography was performed to determine whether DADS affected protease activity. Gelatin zymographic analysis showed the inhibitory effect of DADS on the activation of matrix metalloproteinases-MMP-2 and MMP-9. These findings suggest that DADS acts as an angiogenesis inhibitor by inhibiting the activation of matrix metalloproteinases during endothelial morphogenesis.     

Identification of an endothelial cell growth-inhibitory activity produced by human monocytes

The control of endothelial cell proliferation is important in a variety of processes including wound healing and tumor-induced angiogenesis. We have observed that normal unstimulated human monocytes isolated from the blood can inhibit human endothelial cell proliferation. Monocyte-conditioned medium was fractionated by gel filtration chromatography, yielding a 175-fold enrichment of a growth inhibitory activity, designated monocyte-derived endothelial cell inhibitory factor (MECIF). MECIF was found to be protease sensitive, resistant to acid treatment, and heat labile. When conditioned medium was subjected to HPLC gel filtration, the inhibitory activity was eluted as a single peak with a molecular weight of 50-70 kDa. Several characteristics distinguish MECIF from previously described monocyte/macrophage-derived inhibitory factors. Unlike TGF-beta, MECIF is heat labile and does not induce a mitogenic response in growth-arrested normal rat kidney cells. In addition, polyclonal antibodies specific for TGF-beta or INF-gamma do not inhibit MECIF activity. MECIF preparations show low levels of TNF-alpha, insufficient to promote the observed growth inhibitory effect. MECIF activity on human endothelial cells was found to be dose dependent and reversible. MECIF also appeared to be target cell selective in that it did not significantly alter the growth of human smooth muscle cells or skin fibroblasts. These data suggest that monocyte-derived factors may play a key role in inhibiting endothelial cell proliferation.     

Autophagy and angiogenesis inhibition

Angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels are formed is critical for embryonic development and physiological functioning of normal tissues. Angiogenesis also plays a critical role in the pathology of many diseases including cancer, wherein the supply and demand for blood vessels determines the rate of cancer growth. A number of therapeutic strategies are being developed to inhibit pathological angiogenesis. Kringle domains of plasminogen such as kringle 5 (K5) and a proteolytic fragment of collagen type XVIII (endostatin) are well-characterized, potent angiogenesis inhibitors. These inhibitors activate different intracellular signaling pathways to induce apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation. Recent studies from our group have shown that K5 and endostatin can also induce autophagy in addition to apoptosis in endothelial cells. A common feature of the two treatments was the upregulation of Beclin 1 levels leading to alterations in the Beclin 1-Bcl-2 complex. Angiogenesis inhibitor-induced autophagy in endothelial cells was independent of nutritional or hypoxic stress and initiated even in the presence of endothelial-specific survival factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Interfering with the autophagic response by knocking down Beclin 1 levels dramatically increased apoptosis of endothelial cells. These findings identify the autophagic response as a novel target for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of angiogenesis inhibitors.     

The effect of human follicular fluid on endothelial cells: proliferation and DNA synthesis

Human follicular fluid has been reported to cause angiogenesis. Although endothelial cell mitogenesis is a major component of the process of angiogenesis, the findings in the literature regarding the effects of human follicular fluid in in vitro endothelial cell growth assays are equivocal. In the present study, we examined the effect of human follicular fluid from preovulatory follicles on fetal bovine aortic endothelial cell proliferation. Human serum was used as a control since follicular fluid is largely a transudate of serum and could contain serum-derived endothelial cell mitogens. Neither human follicular fluid nor serum directly caused endothelial cell proliferation. However, follicular fluid, as well as serum, caused an increase in thymidine incorporation by endothelial cells, and resulted in an increased proportion of cells in the DNA synthesis and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Although follicular fluid was not directly mitogenic, it, in contrast to human serum, together with fetal bovine serum markedly enhanced endothelial cell proliferation beyond that caused by fetal bovine serum alone. These results suggest that a combination of factors, some of ovarian origin present in follicular fluid, and others from as yet unidentified sources, govern the mitogenic component of new blood vessel growth in the ovary.     

Growth regulation of the vascular system: an emerging role for adenosine

The importance of metabolic factors in the regulation of angiogenesis is well understood. An increase in metabolic activity leads to a decrease in tissue oxygenation causing tissues to become hypoxic. The hypoxia initiates a variety of signals that stimulate angiogenesis, and the increase in vascularity that follows promotes oxygen delivery to the tissues. When the tissues receive adequate amounts of oxygen, the intermediate effectors return to normal levels, and angiogenesis ceases. An emerging concept is that adenosine released from hypoxic tissues has an important role in driving the angiogenesis. The following feedback control hypothesis is proposed: AMP is dephosphorylated by ecto-5'-nucleotidase, producing adenosine under hypoxic conditions in the extracellular space adjacent to a parenchymal cell (e.g., cardiomyocyte, skeletal muscle fiber, hepatocyte, etc.). Extracellular adenosine activates A(2) receptors, which stimulates the release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from the parenchymal cell. VEGF binds to its receptor (VEGF receptor 2) on endothelial cells, stimulating their proliferation and migration. Adenosine can also stimulate endothelial cell proliferation independently of VEGF, which probably involves modulation of other proangiogenic and antiangiogenic growth factors and perhaps an intracellular mechanism. In addition, hemodynamic factors associated with adenosine-induced vasodilation may have a role in the development and remodeling of the vasculature. Once a new capillary network has been established, and the diffusion/perfusion capabilities of the vasculature are sufficient to supply the parenchymal cells with adequate amounts of oxygen, adenosine and VEGF as well as other proangiogenic and antiangiogenic growth factors return to near-normal levels, thus closing the negative feedback loop. The available data indicate that adenosine might be an essential mediator for up to 50-70% of the hypoxia-induced angiogenesis in some situations; however, additional studies in intact animals will be required to fully understand the quantitative importance of adenosine.     

Inhibition of lung cancer cell proliferation mediated by human mesenchymal stem cells

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are mostly studied for their potential clinical use. Recently, much attention in the field of cancer research has been paid to hMSCs. In this study, we investigated the influence of hMSCs on the proliferation of lung cancer cell lines SK-MES-1 and A549 in vitro and in vivo by using a co-culture system and the hMSCs-conditioned medium. Our results demonstrated that hMSCs could inhibit the proliferation of SK-MES-1 and A549 cells, and induce the apoptosis of tumor cells in vitro via some soluble factors. Animal study showed that these soluble factors from hMSCs could suppress tumorigenesis and tumor angiogenesis by treating preliminarily tumor cells with the hMSCs-conditioned medium. The downregulated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in tumor cells might be the mechanism of interference in tumor angiogenesis, which was verified by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry assay. Taken together, our results suggested that the hMSCs could inhibit tumor cell growth by secreting some soluble factors.     

Endostatin inhibits adhesion of endothelial cells to collagen I via alpha(2)beta(1) integrin, a possible cause of prevention of chondrosarcoma growth

Endostatin derived from collagen XVIII is a potent endogenous anti-angiogenic factor that induces regression of various tumors of epithelial origin. Endostatin has been shown to inhibit endothelial cell functions, however, its effect remains controversial. We first attempted here to apply the inhibitory effect of recombinant human endostatin on chondrosarcomas, which originate from the mesenchyme, in nude mice. Endostatin induced reduction of chondrosarcoma growth and tumor angiogenesis in vivo. However, endostatin showed no effect on the proliferation and migration of chondrosarcoma cells in vitro. Next, we investigated the interactions between endostatin and endothelial cells in detail. Endostatin inhibited the migration on and attachment to collagen I but did not affect the proliferation of endothelial cells. Although the migration of endothelial cells was stimulated by angiogenic factors such as basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor, endostatin showed similar inhibitory effects on it in the presence and absence of the stimulants. Moreover, the inhibitory effect against endothelial cell attachment to collagen I was attenuated or modulated in the presence of neutralizing antibodies of alpha(2), alpha(5)beta(1), and alpha(V)beta(3) integrins but not that of alpha(1) integrin. Our results suggest that endostatin might suppress the alpha(2)beta(1) integrin function of endothelial cells via alpha(5)beta(1) or alpha(V)beta(3) integrin. We propose here that endostatin might be effective for anti-angiogenic therapy for human chondrosarcomas through the suppression of alpha(2)beta(1) integrin functions in endothelial cells.     

The inhibition of MAPK potentiates the anti-angiogenic efficacy of mTOR inhibitors

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) which is part of two functionally distinct complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, plays an important role in vascular endothelial cells. Indeed, the inhibition of mTOR with an allosteric inhibitor such as rapamycin reduces the growth of endothelial cell in vitro and inhibits angiogenesis in vivo. Recent studies have shown that blocking mTOR results in the activation of other prosurvival signals such as Akt or MAPK which counteract the growth inhibitory properties of mTOR inhibitors. However, little is known about the interactions between mTOR and MAPK in endothelial cells and their relevance to angiogenesis. Here we found that blocking mTOR with ATP-competitive inhibitors of mTOR or with rapamycin induced the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in endothelial cells. Downregulation of mTORC1 but not mTORC2 had similar effects showing that the inhibition of mTORC1 is responsible for the activation of MAPK. Treatment of endothelial cells with mTOR inhibitors in combination with MAPK inhibitors reduced endothelial cell survival, proliferation, migration and tube formation more significantly than either inhibition alone. Similarly, in a tumor xenograft model, the anti-angiogenic efficacy of mTOR inhibitors was enhanced by the pharmacological blockade of MAPK. Taken together these results show that blocking mTORC1 in endothelial cells activates MAPK and that a combined inhibition of MAPK and mTOR has additive anti-angiogenic effects. They also provide a rationale to target both mTOR and MAPK simultaneously in anti-angiogenic treatment.     

Focal adhesion kinase controls cellular levels of p27/Kip1 and p21/Cip1 through Skp2-dependent and -independent mechanisms

Endothelial cell proliferation is a critical step in angiogenesis and requires a coordinated response to soluble growth factors and the extracellular matrix. As focal adhesion kinase (FAK) integrates signals from both adhesion events and growth factor stimulation, we investigated its role in endothelial cell proliferation. Expression of a dominant-negative FAK protein, FAK-related nonkinase (FRNK), impaired phosphorylation of FAK and blocked DNA synthesis in response to multiple angiogenic stimuli. These results coincided with elevated cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) p21/Cip and p27/Kip, as a consequence of impaired degradation. FRNK inhibited the expression of Skp2, an F-box protein that targets CDKIs, by inhibiting mitogen-induced mRNA. The FAK-regulated degradation of p27/Kip was Skp2 dependent, while levels of p21/Cip were regulated independent of Skp2. Skp2 is required for endothelial cell proliferation as a consequence of degrading p27. Finally, knockdown of both p21 and p27 in FRNK-expressing cells completely restored mitogen-induced endothelial cell proliferation. These data demonstrate a critical role for FAK in the regulation of CDKIs through two independent mechanisms: Skp2 dependent and Skp2 independent. They also provide important insights into the requirement of focal adhesion kinase for normal vascular development and reveal novel regulatory control points for angiogenesis.     

Signals via FGF receptor 2 regulate migration of endothelial cells.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) stimulate angiogenesis, of which signals are transduced via FGF receptor (FGFR) tyrosine kinases. Although FGFR1 is a major receptor in endothelial cells, FGFR2 is frequently detectable in endothelial cells. We have previously demonstrated that the intracellular domain of FGFR1 sufficiently transduced signals leading to proliferation, migration, urokinase secretion, and tube formation. However, little is known about the roles of signaling via FGFR2 alone in endothelial cells. Murine brain capillary endothelial cells, denoted IBE cells, express small amounts of IIIc FGFR2, which is not activated by keratinocyte growth factor (KGF). We then transfected the IIIb FGFR2 in these cells. Three stable cell lines expressing IIIb FGFR2 demonstrated chemotaxis toward KGF, but never proliferated, secreted urokinase, or formed tube-like structure by KGF treatment. Weak but sustained activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was observed in these cells. Chemotaxis toward KGF was significantly attenuated by treatment with PD98059. This is the first demonstration that signaling solely via FGFR2 in endothelial cells only contributes to motility through MAPK.