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The sodium iodide symporter (NIS) mediates the active iodide uptake in the thyroid gland as well as lactating breast tissue. Recently, we reported significant stimulation of all- trans retinoic acid (atRA)-induced NIS expression in the estrogen-receptor positive human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 by dexamethasone (Dex) in vitro and in vivo, which might offer the potential to image and treat breast cancer with radioiodine. In this study, based on its known interaction with the pregnane-X-receptor (PXR) forming a heterodimer with the retinoid-X-receptor (RXR), we examined the effect of carbamazepine (CBZ), a potent activator of PXR, on atRA-induced NIS expression and therapeutic efficacy of I in MCF-7 cells. For this purpose, functional NIS expression in MCF-7 cells was examined by iodide uptake assay, quantitative real-time PCR as well as Western blot analysis, followed by investigation of I cytotoxicity in vitro after incubation with CBZ (4, 25, 100 μM) in the presence of atRA (1 μM) with or without Dex (100 nM). Incubation with CBZ stimulated atRA-induced iodide accumulation up to twofold in a concentration-dependent manner, while atRA/Dex-stimulated iodide uptake was further stimulated up to 1.5-fold by additional CBZ treatment based on significantly increased NIS mRNA and protein levels. This stimulatory effect of CBZ was shown to be dependent on the PI3K-Akt pathway without involvement of mTOR. In contrast, treatment with CBZ alone had no effect on functional NIS expression. Moreover, selective cytotoxicity of I was significantly increased from approximately 20% in MCF-7 cells treated with atRA alone to 50% after treatment with CBZ in the presence of atRA, which was further enhanced to 90% after combined treatment with atRA/Dex/CBZ. In conclusion, CBZ represents another potent stimulator of atRA-induced functional NIS expression resulting in an enhanced selective killing effect of I in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Focal cerebral ischemia is responsible for alterations of vascular permeability, and the loss of microvascular integrity is a primary source of subsequent hemorrhages. We evaluated the influence of different durations of ischemia and reperfusion on infarction size and microvascular damage after focal cerebral ischemia in the mouse. Methods: C57BL/6 mice (n = 39) were subjected to focal cerebral ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R). Consecutive brain sections were analysed for infarction volumes (Nissl-staining) and for collagen type IV (immunohistochemistry and western blot). Results: Infarction size (percentage of the infarction volume versus ipsilateral hemisphere) increased with total time of ischemia and reperfusion: 19 ± 2% (I3R0), 30 ± 2% (I3R3), 36 ± 4% (I3R12), 41 ± 4% (I1R24), 45 ± 6% (I2R24) and 58 ± 2% (I3R24). The ischemic hemispheres showed a significant progressive reduction of collagen type IV positive vessels (ischemic versus non-ischemic contralateral area): 90 ± 3% (I3R0), 88 ± 1% (I3R3), 82 ± 3% (I3R12), 85 ± 3% (I1R24), 79 ± 3% (I2R24), 72 ± 2% (I3R24). Conclusions: Both prolonged ischemia and reperfusion lead to an increased infarction volume, as well as progressive microvascular damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rat (SHR-SP) is an experimental model of malignant hypertension which lead to secondary alterations of the extracellular matrix. Our aim was to determine ACE-inhibitor related changes of proteases involved in the reconstruction of the extracellular matrix in the brain. Twelve SHR-SP rats were randomized into two groups. Each group was treated with either an antihypertensive dose of ramipril or placebo for 6 months. Brain tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and urokinase (u-PA) were quantified by using casein-dependent plasminogen zymography, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, by MMP-zymography, and tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1 and -2, by reverse zymography. The amounts of u-PA, t-PA, and MMPs were significantly reduced in animals treated with ACE inhibitor. Plasminogen zymography showed a 39% reduction of u-PA in the basal ganglia (p <0.0001); t-PA expression was reduced by 26% in the cortex and by 33% in the basal ganglia (p <0.0001). MMP-2 expression was reduced by 15% in the cortex (p <0.05) and by 10% in the basal ganglia (p <0.05); MMP-9 expression significantly decreased by 37% in the cortex and by 25% in the basal ganglia (p <0.0001 each). No differences were observed in the amount of TIMP-1 or TIMP-2. These findings provide new insights into the biochemical mechanisms underlying extracellular matrix proliferation and its modulation by ACE inhibitors. Therapeutic alterations that influence the proteolytic systems might prove important in the prevention of extracellular matrix accumulation and secondary microvascular vessel wall changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Due to its dual role as reporter and therapy gene, the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) allows noninvasive imaging of functional NIS expression by 123I-scintigraphy or 124I-PET imaging before the application of a therapeutic dose of 131I. NIS expression provides a novel mechanism for the evaluation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as gene delivery vehicles for tumor therapy. In the current study, we stably transfected bone marrow-derived CD34− MSCs with NIS cDNA (NIS-MSC), which revealed high levels of functional NIS protein expression. In mixed populations of NIS-MSCs and hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cells, clonogenic assays showed a 55% reduction of HCC cell survival after 131I application. We then investigated body distribution of NIS-MSCs by 123I-scintigraphy and 124I-PET imaging following intravenous (i.v.) injection of NIS-MSCs in a HCC xenograft mouse model demonstrating active MSC recruitment into the tumor stroma which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and ex vivo γ-counter analysis. Three cycles of systemic MSC-mediated NIS gene delivery followed by 131I application resulted in a significant delay in tumor growth. Our results demonstrate tumor-specific accumulation and therapeutic efficacy of radioiodine after MSC-mediated NIS gene delivery in HCC tumors, opening the prospect of NIS-mediated radionuclide therapy of metastatic cancer using MSCs as gene delivery vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently demonstrated tumor-selective iodide uptake and therapeutic efficacy of radioiodine in neuroblastoma tumors after systemic nonviral polyplex-mediated sodium iodide symporter (NIS) gene delivery. In the present study, we used novel polyplexes based on linear polyethylenimine (LPEI), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and the synthetic peptide GE11 as an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-specific ligand to target a NIS-expressing plasmid to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (HuH7). Incubation of HuH7 cells with LPEI-PEG-GE11/NIS polyplexes resulted in a 22-fold increase in iodide uptake, which was confirmed in other cancer cell lines correlating well with EGFR expression levels. Using 123I-scintigraphy and ex vivo γ-counting, HuH7 xenografts accumulated 6.5-9% injected dose per gram (ID/g) 123I, resulting in a tumor-absorbed dose of 47 mGray/Megabecquerel (mGy/MBq) 131Iodide (131I) after intravenous (i.v.) application of LPEI-PEG-GE11/NIS. No iodide uptake was observed in other tissues. After pretreatment with the EGFR-specific antibody cetuximab, tumoral iodide uptake was markedly reduced confirming the specificity of EGFR-targeted polyplexes. After three or four cycles of polyplex/131I application, a significant delay in tumor growth was observed associated with prolonged survival. These results demonstrate that systemic NIS gene transfer using polyplexes coupled with an EGFR-targeting ligand is capable of inducing tumor-specific iodide uptake, which represents a promising innovative strategy for systemic NIS gene therapy in metastatic cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]