Vascular integrins: Therapeutic and imaging targets of tumor angiogenesis

Abstract

Cells, including endothelial cells, continuously sense their surrounding environment and rapidly adapt to changes in order to assure tissues and organs homeostasis. The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a physical scaffold for cell positioning and represents an instructive interface allowing cells to communicate over short distances. Cell surface receptors of the integrin family emerged through evolution as essential mediators and integrators of ECM-dependent communication. In preclinical studies, pharmacological inhibition of vascular integrins suppressed angiogenesis and inhibited tumor progression. αVβ3 and αVβ5 were the first integrins targeted to suppress tumor angiogenesis. Subsequently, additional integrins, in particular α1β1, α2β1, α5β1, and α6β4, emerged as potential therapeutic targets. Integrin inhibitors are currently tested in clinical trials for their safety and antiangiogenic/antitumor activity. In this chapter, we review the role of integrins in angiogenesis and present recent advances in the use of integrin antagonists as potential therapeutics in cancer and discuss future perspectives. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.