Advanced prostate cancer frequently involves the bone that has the largest content of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). However, the role of bone-derived IGFs in bone metastasis of prostate cancer has not been studied extensively because of the lack of a reliable animal model. Therefore, we investigated whether a novel antibody directed against human IGF-I and IGF-II (KM1468) could inhibit the development of new bone tumors and the progression of established bone tumors in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice implanted with human adult bone. We first confirmed that KM1468 bound specifically to human IGF-I, human IGF-II, and mouse IGF-II but not to insulin. It also blocked autophosphorylation of the type I IGF receptor induced by the binding of IGFs in human-type I IGF receptor-overexpressing BALB/c 3T3 cells, and it inhibited the IGF-stimulated growth of MDA PCa 2b cells in vitro. Then mice were injected intraperitoneally with KM1468 once weekly for 4 weeks either immediately or 4 weeks after inoculation of MDA PCa 2b cells. KM1468 markedly and dose-dependently suppressed the development of new bone tumors and the progression of established tumor foci, as determined by histomorphometry, and it also decreased serum prostatespecific antigen levels, compared with the control. This is the first report of an IGF ligand-specific inhibitory antibody that suppresses the growth of human prostate cancer cells in human adult bone. These results indicate that the IGF signaling axis is a potential target for prevention and treatment of bone metastases arising from prostate cancer.

Interleukin-25 and a subpopulation of tissue T-helper type 2 and 9 cells that express increased IL-17RB levels could contribute to infiltration of eosinophils in NPs and could have produced the pathologic difference between NECRS and ECRS.

Environmental stimuli, such as organ-specific growth factors, can influence the metastatic potential of a tumor. The liver is the main source of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). The importance of IGF signal in hepatic metastasis has been clarified mainly by IGF-I receptor targeting strategies. This study aims to confirm these precedent reports by novel tool, neutralizing antibodies against IGFs and to show that IGFs are promising therapeutic targets for hepatic metastasis in vivo. Hepatic metastasis was induced by intrasplenic injection of human colorectal cancer cell line, HT29. The antimetastatic effects of three antibodies (anti-mouse IGF-I, anti-mouse IGF-II, and anti-human/mouse IGF-II designated KM1468) were tested singly or in combination in the early phase of metastasis. The dose escalation effect of KM1468 and its survival benefit were examined in the early and late phases of metastasis. The mechanism of IGF neutralization was investigated with immunohistochemistry. Dual neutralization of paracrine IGF-I and IGF-II showed modest additive antimetastatic effects than single neutralization of IGF-I or IGF-II. In any phase of metastasis, neutralization led to significant tumor growth inhibition and longer survival. Dose escalation of KM1468 influenced survival only in the late phase of metastasis. Apoptosis increased significantly in the antibody-treated group compared with the control group (P = 0.0025) In conclusion, IGFs are promising therapeutic targets for hepatic metastases of colorectal cancers. However, the IGF dependency is probably variable in the metastatic process.Almost one-third of patients dying from colorectal cancer have metastatic tumors only in the liver. The control of hepatic metastasis leads directly to an improvement in the overall cure rate for colorectal cancer (1). However, our lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms mediating the process of hepatic metastasis means that few theoretical treatments for this syndrome have yet been developed.The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have been widely investigated for a possible role in promoting the oncogenic transformation, growth, and survival of cancer cells (2 -6). They are expressed ubiquitously and act as endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine growth factors. In most tissues, they are synthesized together with six molecular species of specific binding proteins (IGFBP-1 to IGFBP-6), which modulate IGF action in the cell environment, generally by inhibiting it. Limited proteolysis of IGFBPs is an essential mechanism in the regulation of IGF bioavailability both in the bloodstream and at the cellular level (7,8). The liver is the main source of IGFs, and there are reports demonstrating the importance of IGF signals in hepatic metastasis formation (9 -13). We speculated in a previous report that free/bioactive IGFs generated from IGFBP-3 proteolysis by matrix metalloproteinase-7 play a crucial role in hepatic metastasis in human colorectal cancers (14).Recently, this IGF system has been recognized as a potent therapeu...

The mechanism of inhibition of cell growth by deoxyspergualin was studied using mouse mammary carcinoma FM3A cells. Results of studies using deoxyspergualin analogues showed that both the guanidinoheptanate amide and glyoxyspermidine moieties of deoxyspergualin were necessary to cause inhibition of cell growth. When deoxyspergualin was added to the medium, there was a strong inhibition of cell growth and formation of active eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) at the third day of culture. There was also a marked decrease in cellular putrescine content and a small decrease in spermidine content. Accumulation of decapped mRNA, which is typically associated with eIF5A deficiency in yeast, was also observed. The inhibition of cell growth and the formation of active eIF5A was not reversed by addition of spermidine. The activity of deoxyhypusine synthase, the first enzyme in the formation of active eIF5A, was inhibited by deoxyspergualin in a cell-free system. These results, taken together, indicate that inhibition of active eIF5A formation is strongly involved in the inhibition of cell growth by deoxyspergualin.

Cleavage of the extracellular matrix (ECM) by proteolysis unmasks cryptic sites and generates novel fragments with biological activities functionally distinct from those of the intact ECM molecule. The laminin G-like (LG)4-5 fragment has been shown to be excised from the laminin α4 chain in various tissues. However, the functional role of this fragment has remained unknown to date. To investigate this, we prepared α4 LG1-3 and α4 LG4-5 fragments by elastase digestion of recombinant α4 LG1-5, and examined their effects on de novo adipogenesis in mice at the site of injection of basement membrane extract (Matrigel) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2. Although the addition of whole α4 LG1-5 suppressed adipogenesis to some extent, the α4 LG4-5 fragment could strongly suppress adipogenesis at a concentration of less than 20 nM. Addition of the α4 LG4 module, which contains a heparin-binding region, had a suppressive effect, but this was lost in mutants with reduced heparin-binding activity. In addition, antibodies against the extracellular domain of syndecan-2 and -4, which are known receptors for the α4 LG4 module, suppressed adipogenesis. Thus, these results suggest that the cryptic α4 LG4-5 fragment derived from the laminin α4 chain inhibits de novo adipogenesis by modulating the effect of FGF-2 through syndecans.