Applicability of anti-neovascular therapy to drug-resistant tumor: suppression of drug-resistant P388 tumor growth with neovessel-targeted liposomal adriamycin

Int J Pharm. 2005 May 30;296(1-2):133-41. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2005.02.030. Epub 2005 Apr 11.

Abstract

Anti-neovascular therapy, one of the effective anti-angiogenic chemotherapy, damages new blood vessels by cytotoxic agents delivered to angiogenic endothelial cells and results in indirect eradication of tumor cells. We previously reported that liposomes-modified with a pentapeptide, Ala-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly (APRPG-Lip) homing to angiogenic site, highly accumulated in tumor tissue, and APRPG-Lip encapsulating adriamycin (APRPG-LipADM) effectively suppressed tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice. In the present study, we examined the topological distribution of fluorescence-labeled APRPG-LipADM as well as TUNEL-stained cells in an actual tumor specimen obtained from Colon 26 NL-17 carcinoma-bearing mice. The fluorescence-labeled APRPG-Lip dominantly localized to vessel-like structure: a part of which was also stained with anti-CD31 antibody. Furthermore, TUNEL-stained cells were co-localized to the same structure. These data indicated that APRPG-LipADM bound to angiogenic endothelial cells and induced apoptosis of them. We also investigated the applicability of anti-neovascular therapy using APRPG-LipADM to ADM-resistant P388 solid tumor. As a result, APRPG-LipADM significantly suppressed tumor growth in mice bearing the ADM-resistant tumor. These data suggest that APRPG-LipADM is applicable to various kinds of tumor including drug-resistant tumor since it targets angiogenic endothelial cells instead of tumor cells, and eradicates tumor cells through damaging the neovessels.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / administration & dosage*
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / pharmacokinetics
  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Doxorubicin / administration & dosage*
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacokinetics
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / drug effects*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / physiology
  • Leukemia P388 / drug therapy*
  • Leukemia P388 / pathology
  • Liposomes
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred DBA
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / drug therapy*
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / metabolism
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / pathology

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Liposomes
  • Doxorubicin