Inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and the therapeutic ability of linomide against rat prostatic cancers.

Linomide, a quinoline-3-carboxamide, has growth-inhibitory effects against a series of Dunning R-3327 rat prostatic cancers in vivo [Ichikawa et al.: Cancer Res 52:3022-3028, 1992]. In addition, we have demonstrated that daily linomide treatment can inhibit angiogenic responses in nontumor-bearing rats and reduce tumor blood flow in tumor-bearing rats [Vukanovic et al.: Cancer Res 53:1833, 1993]. In the present study we have demonstrated that the reduced tumor blood flow is due to linomide's ability to inhibit tumor angiogenesis, as documented by decreased number of blood vessels in prostatic carcinomas growing in rats treated daily with linomide. Due to linomide's ability to inhibit tumor angiogenesis, and since tumor angiogenesis is required not only for the growth of the primary cancer but also for its ability to metastasize, the effect of linomide on metastasis was directly tested using a quantitation metastasis assay. These in vivo experiments demonstrated that daily linomide treatment decreased by 3-fold the extent of dissemination of cancer cells to the lungs. To test if this antimetastatic response is due to direct effects of linomide on the metastatic cells themselves as well as an induced effect upon inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, additional studies were performed. These studies demonstrated that linomide is not converted in vivo to metabolite(s) which are directly cytotoxic or cytostatic to the prostatic cancer cells themselves. These studies also demonstrated that linomide does not decrease the attachment, migration, or invasive abilities of metastatic cancer cells. These results suggest that the major mechanism for the antitumor and antimetastatic effects of linomide is via its inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Additional studies have demonstrated that in vivo linomide treatment results in the apoptotic death of thymocytes. This cytotoxic effect is not required for linomide's antitumor effect, nor is it due to elevated plasma levels of glucocorticoid.