THE EFFECT OF MALTOSE TETRAPALMITATE (MTP) ON PROSTATE-CANCER GROWTH IN-VIVO AND IN-VITRO

Maltose tetrapalmitate (MTP), a non-toxic synthetic glycolipid analog of lipid A, has been shown to have antitumor activity in tumor-transpl anted animals Its mode of action has been postulated to be as an immun oadjuvant or as an anti-angiogenesis agent. MTP has been shown to have antitumor properties in lung, bladder; mammary, colon, liver. and sof t tissue tumors, but its action on prostate cancer has not yet been in vestigated. The effect of MTP alone and in combination with hydrocorti sone hemisuccinate on prostate cancer and the ability of MTP to inhibi t angiogenesis were examined in this study. In vitro, MTP was minimall y cytotoxic to rat prostate cancer cells and to bovine and human endot helial cells at high concentrations. In the angiogenesis inhibition as says, the MTP alone exhibited no anti-angiogenesis effect and signific ant anti-angiogenesis activity only when combined with hydrocortisone hemisuccinate at high doses. In vivo, however; MTP demonstrated signif icant inhibition of prostate cancer growth. These results suggest that MTP decreases prostate cancer growth in vivo but it is not an angioge nesis inhibitor in rat prostate cancer