Human neuroblastoma cells produce extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes, induce endothelial cell proliferation and are angiogenic in vivo

✍ Scribed by Domenico Ribatti; Giulio Alessandri; Angelo Vacca; Monica Iurlaro; Mirco Ponzoni

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 257 KB
• Volume: 77
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19980729)77:3<449::aid-ijc22>3.0.co;2-1

✦ Synopsis

Direct experimental evidence shows that tumor growth and metastases are angiogenesis-dependent. Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial malignant solid tumor of childhood. In this study, we investigated 2 human NB cell lines, LAN-5 and GI-LI-N, for their capacity to secrete 2 extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes, MMP-2 and MMP-9, and to induce in vitro human microvascular endothelial cells (EC) to proliferate and in vivo angiogenesis in the chick embryo chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Conditioned medium (CM) from both cell lines stimulated in vitro EC proliferation and the effect of LAN-5 CM was higher than that of GI-LI-N cells. Moreover, anti-VEGF, but not anti-FGF2 antibodies, prevented growth increment of EC. NB cell lines secreted the active form of MMP-2 almost exclusively, LAN-5 cells more than GI-LI-N cells. Both cell lines, LAN-5 cells more than GI-LI-N ones, induced angiogenesis in the CAM assay. Our data suggest that the 2 NB cell lines are angiogenic, to LAN-5 cells more than GI-LI-N ones. LAN-5 cells are indeed endowed with a more aggressive and invasive phenotype.