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Query: UMLS:C0027627 (metastases)
 103,950 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent biologic mediator with diverse physiologic and pathophysiologic roles. NO is produced from L-arginine by the family of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzymes, forming the free radical NO and citrulline as byproduct. Three distinct isoforms of the NOS enzyme have been isolated and represent the products of three different genes. Two of the NOS enzymes are continuously present and are termed constitutive NOS (cNOS). One cNOS enzyme was identified in neurons, and the other in endothelial cells. The two cNOS enzymes are contrasted with the third NOS isoform, inducible NOS, which is not typically expressed in resting cells and must first be induced by certain cytokines, microbial products, or lipopolysaccharide. Since NO production has both beneficial and detrimental consequences, understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate NOS expression is critical to the control of NO release in homeostatic and pathophysiologic conditions. The purpose of this review is to describe the molecular biology of NO synthases, with particular emphasis on the regulation of the human NO synthase genes. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of neuronal and endothelial cNOS genes will be reviewed first, followed by the molecular regulation of the inducible NOS gene.
Cancer Metastasis Rev 1998 Mar
PMID:Molecular biology of nitric oxide synthases. 954 20

Varied cellular expression and localisation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms has been shown in human cancers, including tumours of the breast, ovary, stomach, cervix and central nervous system. Mapping of NOS expression within tumour tissue from breast and gastric cancers shows inducible NOS (iNOS) is expressed predominantly in stromal (macrophage and endothelial) cells, although the level of NOS activity is at least 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than the enzyme activity associated with cytotoxicity and apoptosis. There is evidence that the intratumoural environment may provide chemoattractant signals for monocyte-macrophage recruitment and their subsequent activation via expression of interleukin-4, IgE, and CD23. Such signals lead to induction of iNOS in human macrophages in vitro. The correlation between NOS activity and grade for breast cancer suggests that NO may provide a positive growth signal within the tumour microenvironment. In vivo studies showing increased growth rate, vascular density and invasiveness of a human tumour cell line transfected to constitutively express iNOS support this. Furthermore, in vivo administration of a highly selective inhibitor of iNOS limited invasion and growth rate of iNOS transfected tumours and other murine tumours expressing this isoform. Inhibition of NO generation in the intratumoural microenvironment may prove a useful cancer therapy by preventing angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis.
Cancer Metastasis Rev 1998 Mar
PMID:Role of nitric oxide in tumour progression: lessons from human tumours. 954 26

Nitric oxide is an uncharged free radical that mediates a range of physiologic processes in the vasculature. As a principal determinant of vascular tone, the overproduction of nitric oxide has been implicated in the pathogenesis of sepsis- and cytokine-induced hypotension. The enzyme that produces nitric oxide, nitric oxide synthase, exists in three isoforms. One of the three isoforms, inducible nitric oxide synthase, is expressed in many cell types only after stimulation by cytokines and/or endotoxin. Compared to the constitutive nitric oxide synthase enzymes, the inducible enzyme generates larger quantities of nitric oxide for longer periods. Expression of the inducible isoform in vitro requires stimulation by a mixture of cytokines including interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-1 beta. These proinflammatory cytokines are known mediators of sepsis and are also produced in the serum of cancer patients during interleukin-2 therapy, thereby leading to excessive production of nitric oxide. Interleukin-2 therapy is associated with a spectrum of cardiovascular toxicities and hemodynamic alterations that are indistinguishable from those seen in septic shock. Many of these hemodynamic effects have been linked to the overproduction of nitric oxide via a cytokine-inducible nitric oxide pathway. In this regard, inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis represents a novel approach to limit the cardiovascular toxicity associated with interleukin-2 therapy and to improve its therapeutic index. Clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors in reversing the hypotension associated with IL-2 therapy are now underway.
Cancer Metastasis Rev 1998 Mar
PMID:The role of nitric oxide in interleukin-2 therapy induced hypotension. 954 27

Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent short-lived and short range bioactive molecule, which plays a key role in physiological and pathological processes including inflammation and cancer. Detrimental effects of excessive NO production during septic shock have been well recognized. We tested the hypothesis that 'capillary leak syndrome' following systemic interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy resulted from a cascade of events leading to the induction of NO which, directly or indirectly, injured capillaries and caused fluid leakage. Our results provided the first direct evidence that the induction of active NO synthase (NOS) leading to the overproduction of NO is instrumental in IL-2-induced capillary leakage in mice and that successful blocking of this overproduction with chronic oral administration of NOS inhibitors can mitigate this leakage without interfering with the beneficial antitumor effects of IL-2 therapy. NO blocking agents can, in fact, improve IL-2-induced antitumor effector cell activation, as well as tumor regression. In our studies, NO blocking agents alone reduced the growth and metastasis of a murine mammary carcinoma, at least in part, by mitigating the invasion and angiogenesis-stimulating role of tumor-derived NO. Thus, NOS inhibitors may be useful in treating certain tumors and serve as valuable adjuncts to systemic IL-2 based immunotherapy of cancer and infectious diseases.
Cancer Metastasis Rev 1998 Mar
PMID:Role of nitric oxide in IL-2 therapy-induced capillary leak syndrome. 954 28

Endothelium of the cerebral blood microvessels, which constitutes the major component of the blood-brain barrier, controls leukocyte and metastatic cancer cell adhesion and trafficking into the brain parenchyma. In this study, using rat primary brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC), we demonstrate that the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent promoter of angiogenesis, up-regulates the expression of the intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) through a novel pathway that includes phosphatidylinositol 3 OH-kinase (PI3K), AKT, and nitric oxide (NO), resulting in the migration of BMEC. Upon VEGF treatment, AKT is phosphorylated in a PI3K-dependent manner. AKT activation leads to NO production and release and activation-deficient AKT attenuates NO production stimulated by VEGF. Transfection of the constitutive myr-AKT construct significantly increased basal NO release in BMEC. In these cells, VEGF and the endothelium-derived NO synergistically up-regulated the expression of ICAM-1, which was mediated by the PI3K pathway. This activity was blocked by the PI3K-specific inhibitor, wortmannin. Furthermore, VEGF and NO significantly increased BMEC migration, which was mediated by the up-regulation of ICAM-1 expression and was dependent on the integrity of the PI3K/AKT/NO pathway. This effect was abolished by wortmannin, by the specific ICAM-1 antibody, by the specific inhibitor of NO synthase, N(G)-l-monomethyl-arginine (l-NMMA) or by a combination of wortmannin, ICAM-1 antibody, and l-NMMA. These findings demonstrate that the angiogenic factor VEGF up-regulates ICAM-1 expression and signals to ICAM-1 as an effector molecule through the PI3K/AKT/NO pathway, which leads to brain microvessel endothelial cell migration. These observations may contribute to a better understanding of BMEC angiogenesis and the physiological as well as pathophysiological function of the blood-brain barrier, whose integrity is crucial for normal brain function.
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PMID:Vascular endothelial growth factor up-regulates ICAM-1 expression via the phosphatidylinositol 3 OH-kinase/AKT/Nitric oxide pathway and modulates migration of brain microvascular endothelial cells. 1078 17

The formation of liver metastases involves interactions between intravascular cancer cells and the hepatic microvasculature. Here we provide evidence that the arrest of intravascular B16F1 melanoma cells in the liver induces a rapid local release of nitric oxide (NO) that causes apoptosis of the melanoma cells and inhibits their subsequent development into hepatic metastases. B16F1 melanoma cells (5 x 10(5)) labeled with fluorescent microspheres were injected into the portal circulation of C57BL/6 mice. The production of NO in vivo was detected by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy ex vivo using an exogenous NO-trapping agent. A burst of NO was observed in liver samples examined immediately after tumor cell injection. The relative electron paramagnetic resonance signal intensity was 667 +/- 143 units in mice injected with tumor cells versus 28 +/- 5 units after saline injection (P < 0.001). Two-thirds of cells arrested in the sinusoids compared with the terminal portal venules (TPVs). By double labeling of B16F1 cells with fluorescent microspheres and a TdT-mediated UTP end labeling assay, we determined that the melanoma cells underwent apoptosis from 4-24 h after arrest. The mean rate of apoptosis was 2-fold greater in the sinusoids than in the TPVs at 4, 8, and 24 h after injection (P < 0.05-0.01). Apoptotic cells accounted for 15.9 +/- 0.8% of tumor cells located in the sinusoids and 7.1 +/- 0.9% of tumor cells in the TPVs. The NO synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester completely blocked the NO burst (P < 0.001) and inhibited the apoptosis of B16F1 cells in the sinusoids by 77%. However, the rate of tumor cell apoptosis in the TPVs was not changed. There were 5-fold more metastatic nodules in the livers of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-treated mice (P < 0.05). The inactive enantiomer N(G)-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester had no effect on the initial NO burst or on apoptosis of tumor cells in vivo. Both annexin V phosphatidylserine plasma membrane labeling and DNA end labeling of apoptotic cells were demonstrated after a 5-min exposure (a time equivalent to the initial transient NO induction in vivo) of B16F1 cells to a NO donor in vitro. These results identify the existence of a natural defense mechanism against cancer metastasis whereby the arrest of tumor cells in the liver induces endogenous NO release, leading to sinusoidal tumor cell killing and reduced hepatic metastasis formation.
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PMID:B16 melanoma cell arrest in the mouse liver induces nitric oxide release and sinusoidal cytotoxicity: a natural hepatic defense against metastasis. 1105 84

The role of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in colon carcinogenesis is multifactorial and affects diverse processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, tumorigenesis, and metastases. This review describes the stages in colon carcinogenesis where nitric oxide (NO) and inducible NO synthase (NOS2) may influence the progression of a normal mucosa to overt metastatic cancer. Overexpression of NOS2 and an increase in the generation of NO and other RNS may lead to apoptosis resistance, DNA damage, mutation, up-regulation of COX-2, increased proliferation, an increase in oxidative stress and an increase in tumor vascularity and metastatic potential. Therefore, future goals are to establish mechanistically based biomarkers to assess individuals at risk for colon cancer and to implement chemopreventive and dietary strategies that reduce colon cancer risk. An understanding of NO signaling pathways in colon epithelial cells should provide the basis for novel biomarker development. Colon cancer prevention may be achieved effectively by chemically interfering with key components of the NO signaling pathways, changing dietary habits to reduce fat and increase antioxidant-containing vegetables, and dietary supplementation to increase DNA repair.
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PMID:Reactive nitrogen species in colon carcinogenesis. 1123 44

The present study evaluated the significance of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), cyclooxygenase (COX) expression and p53 status in 55 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and relationship of these molecular markers to tumor characteristics and metastatic potential. Immunohistochemical technique was used to identify the cellular location and distribution of the enzymes in the specific cells of gastric tumors. In gastric cancer tissue, the expression of inducible enzymes, iNOS and COX-2, increased significantly with increasing tumor stage (P=0.015, P=0.001, respectively), size (P=0.025, P=0.001, respectively) and the presence of metastases (P=0.002, P=0.015, respectively). The expression of constitutive enzymes, ecNOS and COX-1, followed the opposite pattern. COX-1 was significantly reduced in advanced gastric tumors (P=0.007) and tumors larger than 5 cm (P=0.007). Reduced expression of ecNOS was also observed in advanced gastric tumors; however, this did not reach statistical significance. 53% of gastric tumors showed accumulation of p53. This was significantly higher in advanced tumors (P=0.004), larger than 5 cm (P=0.015) with metastases (P<0.001). Gastric tumors positive for accumulation of p53 had significantly stronger expression of iNOS (P=0.018) and COX-2 (P=0.01) enzymes than tumors negative for this nucleophosphoprotein. We conclude, that tumor-associated nitric oxide production, as well as COX-2 overexpression, may promote gastric cancer progression by providing a selective growth advantage to tumor cells with non-functioning p53.
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PMID:Expression of nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase, and p53 in different stages of human gastric cancer. 1156 94

Recent studies suggest that the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin--similar to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)--may promote angiogenesis by activation of a protein kinase Akt-nitric oxide synthase dependent pathway in endothelial cells, an effect that may be beneficial in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. However, induction of angiogenesis by VEGF contributes importantly to the blood supply of developing tumors and tumor metastases as well. Thus, it can be hypothesized that chronic systemic treatment of elderly patients with a drug that induces angiogenesis by a VEGF-like manner will also promote tumor growth.
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PMID:Can simvastatin promote tumor growth by inducing angiogenesis similar to VEGF? 1186 4

Endotoxin/lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria, is a potent inflammatory stimulus. We previously reported that LPS increased the growth of experimental metastases in a murine tumor model. Here, we examined the effect of LPS exposure on key determinants of metastasis-angiogenesis, tumor cell invasion, vascular permeability, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) expression. BALB/c mice bearing 4T1 lung metastases were given an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 10 microg LPS or saline. LPS exposure resulted in increased lung weight and incidence of pleural lesions. LPS increased angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Vascular permeability in lung tissue was increased 18 hr after LPS injection. LPS increased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and MMP2 expression in lung tumor nodules. 4T1 cells transfected with green fluorescent protein (4T1-GFP) were injected via lateral tail vein. LPS exposure resulted in increased numbers of 4T1-GFP cells in mouse lung tissue compared to saline controls, an effect blocked by the competitive NOS inhibitor, N(G) methyl-L-arginine (NMA). LPS-induced growth and metastasis of 4T1 experimental lung metastases is associated with increased angiogenesis, vascular permeability and tumor cell invasion/migration with iNOS expression implicated in LPS-induced metastasis.
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PMID:Lipopolysaccharide-induced metastatic growth is associated with increased angiogenesis, vascular permeability and tumor cell invasion. 1221 68


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