In vivo inhibition of angiogenesis by a soluble form of melanotransferrin

Abstract

Melanotransferrin (MTf), the membrane-bound human melanoma antigen p97, binds to plasminogen and stimulates its activation, thus regulating a crucial step involved in angiogenesis. In our study, a truncated soluble form of MTf (sMTf) inhibits, in a dose-dependent manner, the in vitro tubulogenesis of human umbilical vessel endothelial cells (HUVEC) induced by media conditioned with MTf-expressing cells. Following these results, we used the in vivo Matrigel™ plug angiogenesis assay to investigate whether truncated sMTf could inhibit neovascularization in mice. We found that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and MTf-expressing cells strongly stimulate in vivo Matrigel™ neovascularization. However, subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of truncated sMTf inhibits both bFGF- and VEGF- as well as human melanoma SK-Mel-28-induced angiogenesis. This inhibition was dependent on the truncated sMTf concentration and reached maximal inhibition at 40 mg/kg/week. Furthermore, we found that a single s.c. injection of truncated sMTf into nude mice at 5 mg/kg produced a maximal blood concentration of ∼40 nM, which is comparable with the level required to inhibit in vitro HUVEC tubulogenesis. Overall, our results strongly suggest that s.c. administration of truncated sMTf may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of angiogenesis-related disorders. © 2007 Oxford University Press.