The effect of antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor on tumorgrowth and metastasis

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a very important in the process of tumor angiogenesis, was chosen as a target in a study to determine wheth er manipulation of angiogenesis with antibody against VEGF may interrupt tu mor growth and metastasis. Anti-VEGF antibody was obtained from immunized r abbits, purified on an affinity column, and identified as neutralized antib ody by Mile's assay. IVTA(2)MA891, a murine spontaneous breast cancer with a high rate of metastasis in lung in TA(2) x 615 F1 mice, was chosen as an animal model in this study, because of the high expression of VEGF in the p rimary tumor as well as in the lung metastatic tumor. The anti-VEGF antibod y could inhibit growth of S180 sarcoma in a dose-dependent manner, and the inhibition rate could reach 41.0% with a dose of 200 mu g mouse(-1) day(-1) . Anti-VEGF antibody could inhibit tumor growth by 76.2% in nude mice beari ng human gastric cancer (MGC 803). When anti-VEGF antibody was combined wit h I-131-3H11, a murine monoclonal antibody conjugated with I-131, only one of five nude mice developed tumor and 84.0% more inhibition of tumor growth was obtained in comparison with treatment by I-131-3H11 alone. The growth of the primary tumor was inhibited by 44.0% and the number and size of the metastatic foci in the lungs were reduced by 73.0% and 83.7% respectively i n the animal model, with a high rate of metastasis in lung. The anti-VEGF a ntibody may be potentially useful for clinical treatment of cancer and meta stasis.