Unit of General Pathology and Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Medicine, University of Brescia, Italy.
Eur Cytokine Netw. 2009 Dec;20(4):225-34. doi: 10.1684/ecn.2009.0175.
Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from the endothelium of the existing vasculature, plays a pivotal role in tumor growth, progression and metastasis. Over the last 30 years, numerous pro- and antiangiogenic molecules, their ligands, and intracellular signaling pathways have been identified, and significant efforts have been undertaken to develop antiangiogenic strategies for cancer therapy. Agents that selectively target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors have shown promising activity in clinical trials and have been approved for use in selected cancer indications. However, patients may ultimately develop resistance to these drugs. One proposed mechanism of tumor escape from anti-VEGF therapy is the up-regulation of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2). FGF2 is a pleiotropic, angiogenesis inducer belonging to the family of the heparin-binding FGF growth factors. FGF2 is expressed by numerous tumor types and exerts its proangiogenic activity by interacting with tyrosine kinase receptors, heparan-sulfate proteoglycans, and integrins expressed on the endothelial cell surface. Experimental evidence suggests that targeting FGF2, in addition to VEGF, might provide synergistic effects in the treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases, including cancer. Several FGF2 inhibitors, with different chemical structure and mechanism of action, have been identified. Recent observations have shown the ability of the soluble pattern recognition receptor long-pentraxin-3 (PTX3) to bind FGF2, thus acting as a FGF2 antagonist. PTX3 binds FGF2 with high affinity and specificity. This interaction prevents the binding of FGF2 to its cognate tyrosine kinase receptors, leading to inhibition of the angiogenic activity of the growth factor. Further, preliminary observations support the hypothesis that PTX3 may inhibit FGF2-mediated tumor angiogenesis and growth. The identification of the FGF2-binding domain in the unique N-terminal extension of PTX3 has allowed the design of PTX3-derived synthetic peptides endowed with significant antiangiogenic activity in vitro and in vivo. These findings may provide the basis for the development of novel antiangiogenic FGF2 antagonists, with potential implications for cancer therapy.
血管生成,即从现有脉管系统的内皮细胞形成新的血管,在肿瘤生长、进展和转移中起着关键作用。在过去的 30 年中,已经鉴定出许多促血管生成和抗血管生成分子、它们的配体以及细胞内信号通路,并已投入大量努力开发用于癌症治疗的抗血管生成策略。选择性靶向血管内皮生长因子 (VEGF) 及其受体的药物在临床试验中显示出有前途的活性,并已被批准用于某些癌症适应证。然而,患者最终可能会对这些药物产生耐药性。肿瘤逃避抗 VEGF 治疗的一种提出的机制是成纤维细胞生长因子-2 (FGF2) 的上调。FGF2 是一种多效性的血管生成诱导剂,属于肝素结合 FGF 生长因子家族。FGF2 由许多肿瘤类型表达,并通过与酪氨酸激酶受体、硫酸乙酰肝素蛋白聚糖和内皮细胞表面表达的整合素相互作用发挥其促血管生成活性。实验证据表明,除了 VEGF 之外,靶向 FGF2 可能在治疗与血管生成相关的疾病(包括癌症)方面提供协同作用。已经鉴定出具有不同化学结构和作用机制的几种 FGF2 抑制剂。最近的观察结果表明,可溶性模式识别受体长 pentraxin-3 (PTX3) 能够结合 FGF2,从而作为 FGF2 拮抗剂。PTX3 与 FGF2 具有高亲和力和特异性结合。这种相互作用阻止了 FGF2 与其同源酪氨酸激酶受体的结合,从而抑制了生长因子的血管生成活性。此外,初步观察结果支持 PTX3 可能抑制 FGF2 介导的肿瘤血管生成和生长的假设。在 PTX3 独特的 N 端延伸中鉴定出 FGF2 结合域,使得能够设计具有显著体外和体内抗血管生成活性的 PTX3 衍生合成肽。这些发现可能为开发新型抗血管生成 FGF2 拮抗剂提供基础,并可能对癌症治疗产生影响。
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