Biomedical subjects

I Azuma

Publications and source records attributed to I Azuma.

435 records · Page 25Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Anti-metastatic and anti-invasive effects of polymeric Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide, poly(RGD), and its analogues.

We have investigated the anti-metastatic and anti-invasive activities of polypeptide analogues based on the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) adhesive signal in fibronectin, poly(RGD), poly(RGDS)[Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser] and poly(RGDT)[Arg-Gly-Asp-Thr]. These polypeptides containing repetitive RGD sequences were able to inhibit experimental and spontaneous lung metastases of B16-BL6 cells more effectively than the corresponding monomer peptides. In the spontaneous metastasis model, multiple i.v. administrations of these polymeric peptides before or after surgical excision of the primary tumor resulted in a significant reduction of lung tumor colonies. However, there was no significant difference in ability to inhibit spontaneous lung metastasis among poly(RGD), poly(RGDS) and poly(RGDT), although the carboxy-terminal amino acid residue (i.e., Xaa in -RGDXaa-) has been shown to play an important role in the expression of cell adhesive character. The treatment with poly(RGD) substantially prolonged the survival time for mice injected s.c. with B16-BL6 melanoma as compared with the untreated control. We also found that the polypeptides were potently able to inhibit the invasion and migration of tumor cells in vitro. Since these polypeptide analogues showed no antigenicity in the host and had no toxic effect on tumor cells in vitro, they may be potentially useful in the prevention of cancer metastasis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition of tumor angiogenesis by a synthetic cell-adhesive polypeptide containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence of fibronectin, poly(RGD).

We have investigated the anti-angiogenic effect of a polymeric peptide based on the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) core sequence of fibronectin as a monomer unit, i.e., poly(RGD), in syngeneic mice and in vitro. Single intratumoral administration of poly(RGD) on day 0, 1 or 7 after tumor implantation achieved a significant reduction of B16-BL6 melanoma colonization in the lungs, but did not affect the size of the primary tumor at the time of amputation. The number of capillary blood vessels oriented toward the tumor mass increased during the early growth phase after the intradermal inoculation of the tumor. Poly(RGD) significantly inhibited the formation of tumor neovascularization when co-injected with the tumor cells or separately injected intratumorally or intravenously on day 1 or 3 after tumor inoculation. This inhibitory effect of poly(RGD) was dose-dependent. Poly(RGD) was able to inhibit the haptotactic migration of endothelial cells along a gradient of substratum-immobilized fibronectin but not laminin. Tumor-conditioned medium (CM) by itself did not act as a chemoattractant when it was added in the lower compartment of a Transwell chamber, but promoted the endothelial cell migration to immobilized fibronectin or laminin. Poly(RGD) inhibited the enhanced cell migration to fibronectin but not to laminin in response to CM. Thus, poly(RGD)-mediated inhibition of tumor metastasis may be partly due to the inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis at primary and secondary sites.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of the circulation in the retina, peripapillary choroid and optic disk in normal-tension glaucoma.

Computerized image analysis, including fluorescein angiography, was used to evaluate the retinal, choroidal and optic disk blood flow in 16 patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and to correlate this measurement with visual fields, retinal vessel width, optic disk pallor and blood pressure (BP). The angle of the ascending slope of the fluorescein dye curve was measured as an index of blood flow from the densitometric and time curves of the fluorescein angiograms in the optic disk, peripapillary choroid, retinal artery and vein for each quadrant. While the ascending slope as well as the retinal vessel width were most reduced in the inferior and nasal regions, the mean threshold was lowest in the superior and nasal quadrants. There were positive significant correlations between artery width and threshold value, between angles of slopes and pallor. In addition, systolic BP had a negative correlation with pallor, and diastolic BP had a positive one with slope in the choroid. These results indicated the probable association of a decrease in retinal, choroidal and optic disk blood flow in the inferior and nasal quadrants as well as vessel width in the inferior nasal quadrant with visual field loss in the superior quadrant, and also demonstrated an increasing blood flow for enlargement of pallor. A decrease in BP was found to be related to reduced blood flow in choroid and optic disk impairment.

Blood Circulation↗