Combination of low-dose cisplatin and recombinant xenogeneic endoglin as a vaccine induces synergistic antitumor activities

Int J Cancer. 2004 Nov 20;112(4):701-6. doi: 10.1002/ijc.20449.

Abstract

Angiogenesis is critical to the growth and metastasis of solid tumors, and acquired drug resistance is one of the major hindrances to chemotherapy. Thus, we sought a rational strategy using the combination of antiangiogenic biotherapy and chemotherapy for cancer therapy. We explored the efficacy of a strategy combining low-dose cisplatin and a recombinant xenogeneic endoglin as a protein vaccine, which we previously demonstrated to have effective antiangiogenic effects in several mouse models. We found that both low-dosage cisplatin and xenogeneic endoglin vaccine individually resulted in effective suppression of tumor growth in 2 tumor models via inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Remarkably, the combination therapy resulted in not only significant antiangiogenic effects but also additional promotion of tumor cell apoptosis and inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, without any ensuing increase in host toxicity during the course of treatment, which lasted for 6 months. In addition, the combination demonstrated a synergistic relationship, which was shown in all of the synergistic indexes, i.e., tumor volume, angiogenesis, apoptosis and proliferation. Both antibodies and antibody-producing B cells against mouse self-endoglin were observed in all mice immunized by the xenogeneic endoglin vaccine (alone and combination), which suggested that low-dose cisplatin did not suppress the host immune response but potentiated the antitumor activity of the xenogeneic endoglin vaccine. These observations may provide the basis for an effective alternative strategy for cancer therapy in the near future.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, CD
  • Antigens, Heterophile / administration & dosage
  • Antigens, Heterophile / immunology
  • Antigens, Heterophile / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents / immunology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cancer Vaccines / immunology*
  • Carcinoma, Lewis Lung / drug therapy*
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage
  • Cisplatin / immunology
  • Cisplatin / therapeutic use*
  • Colonic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Interactions
  • Endoglin
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic*
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / administration & dosage
  • Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / immunology
  • Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Antigens, CD
  • Antigens, Heterophile
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Cancer Vaccines
  • ENG protein, human
  • Endoglin
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
  • Cisplatin