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Background: Hypoxia in tumor niche is one of important factors to start regeneration of blood vessels, leading to increase survival, proliferation, and invasion in cancer cells. Under hypoxia microenvironment, furthermore, steadily increased hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is observed, and can increase vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and promote angiogenesis. Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), a heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inhibitor, is potential to inhibit tumor proliferation and progression. However, the mechanism of ZnPP in inhibition of tumor is not completely clear. We hypothesize that ZnPP may modulate HIF-1α through inhibiting HO-1, and then inhibit angiogenesis and tumor progression. This study aimed to dissect the mechanism of ZnPP in tumor suppression. Results: We observed the amount of VEGF was increased in the sera of the colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (n = 34, p < 0.05). Furthermore, increased VEGF expression was also measured in colorectal cancer cells, HCT-15, culturing under mimicking hypoxic condition. It suggested that hypoxia induced VEGF production from cancer cells. VEGF production was significantly reduced from HCT-15 cells after exposure to HIF-1α inhibitor KC7F2, suggesting that HIF-1α regulated VEGF production. Moreover, we observed that the HO-1inhibitor ZnPP inhibited the expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF coupled with cell proliferations of HCT-15 cells, suggesting that ZnPP blocked HIF-1α expression, and then inhibited the consequent VEGF production. In the xenograft model, we also observed that the animals exposed to ZnPP displayed much smaller tumor nodules and less degree of angiogenesis with decreased expression of the angiogenesis marker, αvβ3 integrin, compared to that in normal control. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that VEGF level in serum was elevated in the patients with CRC. The HO-1 inhibitor, ZnPP, possessed the properties of anti-tumor agent by decreasing HIF-1α levels, blocking VEGF production, impairing tumor angiogenesis, and inhibiting tumor growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground/Objectives:Intratumoral injection of a radiopharmaceutical is a potential modality to treat liver tumors. Rhenium-188 (188Re) was used to chelate with ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) in lipiodol solution to form 188Re-ECD/lipiodol, which was then evaluated for its therapeutic potential in a rodent hepatoma model.Materials and Methods:Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with N1-S1 hepatoma cells orthotopically and randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 (n= 29) and group 2 (n= 10) received 188Re-ECD/lipiodol (30.4 ± 21.8 MBq/0.1 mL) and 0.1 mL of normal saline by intratumoral injection, respectively. Three rats in group 1 were imaged by micro–single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography scan to evaluate the biodistribution pattern. All rats were monitored for change of tumor size and survival rate after 2 months.Results:The in vitrostability test showed that 188Re-ECD was well-retained in the lipiodol phase for 48 hours. The biodistribution image revealed that radioactivity was retained well in hepatomas 24 hours postinjection. Long-term studies demonstrated that rats treated with 188Re-ECD/Lipiodol had smaller tumor volumes and a better survival rate, compared to the control group. At the end of observation, the survival rates in groups 1 and 2 were 62% and 20%, respectively (p< 0.05).Conclusions:188Re-ECD/lipiodol via direct intratumoral injection shows potential for treating hepatoma and warrants further clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty clinical scale alumina-based 188W/188Re generators and carrier-free 188Re has been produced at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER-Taiwan) for over ten years. 2845.6 GBq (76.9 Ci) of 188Re-perrhenate solution has been eluted from generators during the past ten years. We have used the harvesting 188Re solution for labeling radiopharmaceuticals, such as 188Re-HEDP, 188Re-MDP, 188Re-microsphere, 188Re-lipiodol, and 188Re-sulfur colloid, etc. The average eluting yield of 188Re is 78.6±5.8% that was investigated at 1115 harvesting times from 20 generators. Each generator can be used more than six months but the Millipore needs to be changed every two months for smooth harvesting and high yield of 188Re solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although hypercholesterolemia is a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis, little is known about the effect of hypercholesterolemia on cardiac contractile function. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of hypercholesterolemia on myocardial contractility. Fifteen New Zealand white rabbits were fed standard chow (control group) and another 15 were fed a cholesterol-enriched diet (HC group) for 12 weeks. The contractile response of ventricular muscle strips was measured in various extracellular calcium concentrations and at different pacing rates. The whole-cell calcium current recording, and mRNA and protein levels of cellular calcium-handling proteins were also analyzed. With 2 mM Ca2+ and stimulation at 3 Hz, the contractile force of HC strips was less than that of the controls (3.63 ± 0.20 vs. 4.61 ± 0.50 mN, p < 0.05). The time to peak tension was longer for HC strips (93.3 ± 2.16 vs. 82.2 ± 2.81 ms, p < 0.05). The peak L-type calcium inward current density was slightly higher in HC myocytes but did not reach statistical significance (–14.90 ± 0.94 vs. –12.44 ± 0.84 pA/pF, p = 0.15). The mRNA level of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), normalized to GAPDH, was significantly lower in the HC than that in the control group (2.85 ± 0.14 vs. 7.67 ± 0.67, p < 0.05), as was the ryanodine receptor (RyR; 0.42 ± 0.06 vs. 0.71 ± 0.13, p < 0.05). The mRNA of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) was statistically higher in the HC group (0.90 ± 0.12 vs. 0.48 ± 0.05, p < 0.05). Western blot experiments revealed that protein expression of SERCA in the HC strips decreased, but that of the NCX increased. The protein expression of the dihydropyridine receptor was similar between these two groups. We concluded that hypercholesterolemia results in suppression of the maximal contractile function and in a longer systolic contractile time course. These changes may partially be mediated through a decrease in SERCA and RyR but an increase in NCX expression. Copyright © 2004 National Science Council, ROC and S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to assess the effect of hypercholesterolemia on cardiac sympathetic nerve function, New Zealand white rabbits were fed a normal diet (the control group) or one enriched with 0.5% cholesterol [the hypercholesterol (HC) group] for 3 months. Before and after the 3-month diet treatment, we performed serial imaging examinations and analyzed the uptake and washout ratio of 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) from the myocardium by administration of 123I-MIBG through an ear vein. At the end of the experiments, the rabbits were sacrificed, and right ventricular strips were taken from their hearts. The inotropic response of the right ventricular strips to isoproterenol (ISO) and norepinephrine (NE) were evaluated. The cardiac MIBG uptake of the HC group, which was evaluated using the heart to mediastinum ratio, was higher than that of the age-matched control group. However, the washout ratios of 123I-MIBG did not differ statistically between the two groups. On pretreatment with cocaine, NE-enhanced contractility was greater in papillary muscles isolated from the HC group. The concentration-response curve to ISO was shifted to the right in the HC group, compared with that in the control group. In conclusion, hypercholesterolemia in rabbits resulted in an increase in sympathetic nerve density in the myocardium, a decrease in the inotropic response to ISO and an increase in the inotropic response to NE in cocaine-treated myocardium. Both the in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated the functional significance of neural remodeling induced by hypercholesterolemia. Copyright © 2004 National Science Council, ROC and S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]