Objective: To evaluate the anti-angiogenic activity of peptide 21 obtained by modification of tumstatin, and its inhibitory effect on the growth and metastasis of human ovarian cancer transplanted in nude mice.
Methods: The peptide 21 was purified by affinity chromatography. Human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells were inoculated in nude mice and the transplanted tumor was treated with the peptide 21 to observe the tumor growth and metastasis. The microvessel density (MVD) and immunohistochemical staining index of PCNA, VEGF and MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were performed to assess the inhibitory effect of the peptide 21.
Results: In the nude mice at 21 days after peptide 21 treatment, the inhibition rate of tumor growth was 53.17%, the tumor microvessel density was significantly reduced (P <0.05), the expression of PCNA, VEGF and MMP-2 were significantly lower (P <0.01), and TIMP-2 expression was significantly higher (P <0.01) in comparison with that of control group.
Conclusion: The peptide 21 generated in this study has a significant anti-angiogenetic activity, showing significant inhibitory effect on the growth of human ovarian cancer transplanted in nude mice. The mechanism of its inhibitory action on ovarian cancer growth may be mediated by reduction of neovascularization and reduction of expression of angiogenetic factors.