INHIBITORY EFFECT OF A SERINE-PROTEASE INHIBITOR, FOY-305 ON THE INVASION AND METASTASIS OF HUMAN PANCREATIC CANCERS

We examined the inhibitory effect of a serine protease inhibitor, FOY- 305, on the invasion and metastasis of human pancreatic cancers. The i n vitro matrigel invasion assay showed that the invasiveness of Capan- 1 human pancreatic cancer cells was inhibited by FOY-305 treatment in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations greater than 100 nM. Intrasp lenic injection of Capan-1 cells in nude mice resulted in frequent met astases to liver, however, its incidence was significantly decreased b y FOY-305 treatment. These findings suggest that a serine protease inh ibitor, FOY-305 can inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis by blocking the serine protease-mediated activation cascade.