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Query: UMLS:C0027651 (tumor)
 685,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The host defense against tumor cells is in part based on the production of nitric oxide (NO) by activated macrophages. However, cells of the blood vessels can also participate in antitumor defense responses. They produce NO either constitutively [endothelial cells (ECs)] or after stimulation by proinflammatory cytokines (ECs and vascular smooth muscle cells). We have used a tumor cell-vascular cell coculture system to evaluate whether vascular cells can mediate cytotoxic effects on tumor cells. Treatment with IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced death of human erythroleukemic K562 cells cocultured with rodent vascular smooth muscle cells or ECs. The synergistic antitumor activity of the two cytokines depended on de novo gene expression of the inducible isoform of NO synthase and on synthesis of reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNIs) in the vascular cells. K562 cells did not produce any appreciable levels of NO, but they were targeted by RNIs released from the cytokine-stimulated vascular cells, as demonstrated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry, which showed formation of nonheme iron-nitrosyl complexes in the tumor cells. Assays for mitochondrial respiration demonstrated that the tumor cells suffered from a block of the complexes I and II of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Further analysis of the cytotoxic mechanism by fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, and DNA electrophoresis revealed that K562 cells attacked by NO-producing vascular cells underwent apoptosis with plasma membrane blebbing, cell volume reduction, condensation of cytoplasm and chromatin, and fragmentation of genomic DNA at internucleosomal sites. In contrast, only a few vascular cells exhibited these apoptotic changes, suggesting that these cells resist the RNI attack. Inhibition of NO production in vascular cells by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, an inhibitor of NO synthases, significantly reduced the death of the K562 cells. These observations suggest that vascular cells induce apoptotic death of tumor cells by producing RNIs in response to cytokine stimulation.
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PMID:Apoptotic death of human leukemic cells induced by vascular cells expressing nitric oxide synthase in response to gamma-interferon and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. 863 Oct 26

Although it has been recognized for sometime that target cells destroyed by natural killer (NK) cells die largely by apoptosis, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in mediating murine NK-cell-induced killing of YAC-1 lymphoma cells. NK calls induced extensive release of 125I-DNA and 51Cr from YAC-1 cells. The target killing ability of NK cells was associated with an increased production of NO as measured by concentrations of nitrite in the culture medium. That YAC-1 killing resulted, in part, from the production of NO was confirmed by the significant protection of cell lysis in L-arginine-depleted medium and by approximately 30 % attenuation of cell lysis and DNA fragmentation by an inhibitor of NO synthase, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in a culture medium containing 1 mmol/L L-arginine. Fluorescence microscopic examination of YAC-1 cells showed the presence of changes in nuclear morphology characteristic for apoptosis. The percentage of apoptotic cells was markedly decreased by L-NAME. Further evidence for apoptosis is provided by the specific pattern of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation both in the absence and presence of L-NAME. During target-cell killing, an increased oxidation of intracellularly trapped dichlorofluorescein was observed in cells labeled with an antimouse NK-cell monoclonal antibody, as measured by flow cytometry. These increases were effectively prevented by L-NAME, but not W-13, an inhibitor of calmodulin. The ability of NO to induce cell lysis and DNA fragmentation in YAC-1 cells was further demonstrated by exposing tumor cells to chemically generated NO. Taken together, these observations suggest a role for NO as one of the mediators of NK-cell-mediated DNA fragmentation and cell lysis.
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PMID:Involvement of nitric oxide in target-cell lysis and DNA fragmentation induced by murine natural killer cells. 865 26

Arginine-derived nitric oxide (NO) has been identified in some tumor cell lines and solid human tumors. The effect of tumor cell NO on tumor biology is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of NO production by EMT-6 murine breast cancer cells on tumor cell growth in vitro and subcutaneous tumor growth and experimental pulmonary metastasis in vivo. EMT-6 cells were incubated with endotoxin (LPS, 10 microgram/ml) and interferon-gamma (IFN, 50 U/ml), in the presence or absence of the NO synthase inhibitor, omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 2 mM), and NO production and cell number were assessed 24 hr later. EMT-6 cells were also treated overnight with LPS/IFN, in the presence or absence of L-NAME, washed and injected either subcutaneously in the dorsal flank (n = 40) or via the tail vein (n = 40) of syngeneic BALB/c mice. Two weeks following tumor cell injection, tumor size and number of pulmonary metastases were assessed. LPS/IFN stimulated NO production in EMT-6 cells and inhibited cell growth in vitro by 50%. L-NAME blocked LPS/IFN stimulation of NO production and restored cell growth to near control levels. When injected into BALB/c mice, LPS/IFN-stimulated tumor cells demonstrated a two-fold increase in subcutaneous tumor growth and experimental pulmonary metastases over control cells. L-NAME reduced tumor size and number of lung metastases to control levels, suggesting that tumor cell NO production was responsible for this effect. In summary, LPS/IFN-stimulated NO production in EMT-6 tumor cells inhibits tumor cell growth in vitro, yet paradoxically augments tumor growth and metastasis in vivo.
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PMID:Tumor cell nitric oxide inhibits cell growth in vitro, but stimulates tumorigenesis and experimental lung metastasis in vivo. 866 Nov 71

The present study investigates the molecular mechanisms by which IFN-gamma produced as a result of in vivo IL-12 administration exerts its anti-tumor effects. rIL-12 was administered three or five times into mice bearing CSA1M fibrosarcoma, OV-HM ovarian carcinoma or MCH-1-A1 fibrosarcoma. This regimen induced complete regression of CSA1M and OV-HM tumors but only transient growth inhibition of MCH-1-A1 tumors. The anti-tumor effects of IL-12 were associated with enhanced induction of IFN-gamma because these effects were abrogated by pretreatment of hosts with anti-IFN-gamma antibody. Exposure in vitro of the three types of tumor cells to rRFN-gamma resulted in moderate to potent inhibition of tumor cell growth. IFN-gamma stimulated the expression of mRNAs for an inducible type of NO synthase (iNOS) in CSA1M cells and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme capable of degrading tryptophan, in OH-HM cells, but induced only marginal levels of these mRNAs in MCH-1-A1 cells. In association with iNOS gene expression, IFN-gamma-stimulated CSA1M cells produced a large amount of NO which functioned to inhibit their own growth in vitro. Although OV-HM and MCH-1A1 cells did not produce NO, they also exhibited NO susceptibility. Whereas the tumor masses from IL-12-treated CSA1M-bearing or OV-HM-bearing mice induced higher levels of iNOS (for CSA1M) or IDO and iNOS (for OV-HM) mRNAs, the MCH-1-A1 tumor mass expressed lower levels of iNOS mRNA alone. Moreover, massive infiltration of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and Mac-1(+) cells was seen only in the CSA1M and OV-HM tumors. Thus, these results indicate that IFN-gamma produced after IL-12 treatment induces the expression of various genes with potential to modulate tumor cell growth by acting directly on tumor cells or stimulating tumor-infiltrating lymphoid cells and that the effectiveness of IL-12 therapy is associated with the operation of these mechanisms.
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PMID:Molecular mechanisms underlying IFN-gamma-mediated tumor growth inhibition induced during tumor immunotherapy with rIL-12. 867 75

The metabolic change in tumor cells (AH70, a rat hepatoma cell line) cocultured with isolated rat Kupffer cells were visualized and analyzed by a laser scanning confocal imaging system. When AH70 cells were cocultured with Kupffer cells, fluorescence intensity of rhodamine 123 (Rh123) decreased, indicating the reduction of mitochondrial function. The reduction in Rh123 was eliminated by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), an analogue of L-arginine, suggesting the involvement of nitric oxide (NO). Two hour after the cells were cocultured, membrane compromised AH70 cells which were observed as propidium from 2.8% to 25%. This increase was also attenuated by L-NMMA, suggesting that Kupffer cell-mediated injury of tumor cells largely depends on NO. The concentrations of NO-2 + NO-3 in the culture medium markedly increased after coculture of AH70 cells with Kupffer cells. Moreover, NO synthase (NOS) activity in Kupffer cells significantly increased after coculture. These in vitro results suggest that NO mediates Kupffer cell-induced tumor cell damage characterized by reduced mitochondrial function and diminished barrier function. In the ex vivo study of the perfused liver to which AH70 cells were injected via the catheter inserted into the portal vein, some AH70 cells were arrested in the upper stream of sinusoid and the fluorescence intensity of Rh123 in adherent AH70 cells decreased in a time-dependent manner within 2 hours. The number of PI-positive AH70 cells also increased 2 hours after the injection of AH70 cells. These changes were inhibited by either administration of N omega-L-nitroarginine-methylester (L-NAME) to perfusate or pretreatment of the rat liver with GdCl3, which is known to deplete Kupffer cell function. Thus, the present study suggests that NO from Kupffer cells induces mitochondrial dysfunction in tumor cells followed by membrane barrier dysfunction in the liver sinusoid.
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PMID:Role in nitric oxide in Kupffer cell-mediated hepatoma cell cytotoxicity in vitro and ex vivo. 870 54

The biochemical transductional events involved in NO synthesis are not fully understood. These studies, therefore, were undertaken to elucidate the role of intracellular calcium and protein kinase C (PKC) in the induction of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in murine peritoneal macrophages. Thapsigargin (TG), Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum, had modest activity on NO synthesis by itself, whereas phorbol ester, PKC activator, alone had no effect. When TG was used in combination with phorbol ester, there was a marked cooperative induction of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. The optimal effect of phorbol ester was shown in the first 6 h after TG treatment. In addition, the ability of TG with phorbol ester on NO synthesis could be mimicked by another chemically unrelated inhibitor of Ca(2+)-ATPase, 2,5-di-(t-butyl)-1, 4-benzohydroquinone, and Ca2+ ionophore, A23187. This increase of NO synthesis was reflected as increased amount of NO synthase (NOS) mRNA, as determined by Northern blotting. Intracellular Ca2+ transient by TG was not affected in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca2+, indicating that TG must be effective on cytosolic Ca2+ pool. In addition, chelation of intracellular Ca2+ by acetoxymethyl ester of 1,2-bis-(2-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA/AM), an intracellular Ca2+ chelating agent, blocked TG- or TG + PMA-induced NO production. PKC inhibitors such as staurosporine or polymyxin B reduced only the synergistic cooperative effect of TG with phorbol ester without affecting TG-induced NO production. In addition, when the cells were pretreated with phorbol ester before TG treatment, there was no synergy between TG and phorbol ester, indicating that PKC is not directly involved in the expression of NOS but involved in "triggering" signal. Secretion of NO corresponded with tumor cell killing, but TG plus phorbol ester-activated macrophages failed to kill tumor cell targets in the presence of Ng-monomethyl-L-arginine. Collectively, these data illustrate that mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ provides a "priming" signal for induction of NOS gene expression by itself and it also requires PKC as a "triggering" signal for macrophage tumoricidal activity.
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PMID:Synergistic cooperation between thapsigargin and phorbol ester for induction of nitric oxide synthesis in murine peritoneal macrophages. 872 23

Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical gas implicated in a wide variety of biological reactions, is a novel signaling molecule that may regulate vasodilation, cerebral blood flow, and vascular permeability. This study was performed to determine whether NO mediates the selective increase in brain tumor microvessel permeability after intracarotid infusion of bradykinin in the RG2 rat glioma model. Intracarotid infusion of bradykinin selectively increased the transport of radiolabeled alpha-aminoisobutyric acid and dextran into brain tumors. Transport into normal brain was not increased. The administration of an NO synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, significantly inhibited the increased transport into tumors for both tracers. The inhibitory effect of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester on the response to bradykinin was reversed by L-arginine. The expression of two NO synthase (NOS) isoforms in cultured RG2 glioma cell lines and intracerebral RG2 glioma was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. High levels of expression of neuronal NOS were detected in cultured and intracerebral RG2 cells but not in normal brain tissue, except in rare neuronal cells. The endothelial form of NOS was also expressed in cultured RG2 cells, but not as strongly as neuronal NOS expression. In intracerebral RG2 gliomas, expression of endothelial NOS in the tumor was detected at higher levels than in normal brain. These findings indicate that RG2 rat gliomas express high levels of NOS, which regulate the production of NO, compared with normal brain. We suggest that the selective permeability increase in brain tumor microvessels after bradykinin infusion is mediated by NO. Furthermore, the absence of high levels of NOS in normal brain may account for the attenuated permeability response to bradykinin in normal brain microvessels.
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PMID:Increased brain tumor microvessel permeability after intracarotid bradykinin infusion is mediated by nitric oxide. 875 74

Nitric oxide (NO) is a short-lived pleiotropic mediator with a multitude of biologic functions. The inducible form of NO synthase (iNOS) is responsible for the discontinuous production of high amounts of NO and is important for the cytotoxic capacity of macrophages in rodents, whereas NO production by human macrophages or monocytes (MO) is under debate. Here we report that high amounts of NO are synthesized in cocultures of human MO with the human carcinoma cell line RT4 without further stimulation. Both cell types have to be viable and metabolically active for NO production. However, in contrast to reports by others, we could demonstrate that tumor cells and not MO are the producers of NO by the following findings: 1) NO release was induced in RT4 cells, but not in MO, by diluted supernatants (SN) of RT4/MO cocultures; 2) SN of MO stimulated with tumor cell membrane preparations were sufficient to induce NO release by tumor cells; and 3) NOS mRNA expression could be detected only in tumor cells, not in MO. Separating both cells by a cell-impermeable membrane resulted in NO amounts comparable to those in cocultures with direct cell contact, indicating one or more soluble NO-inducing factors. Considerable amounts of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were present in cocultures. IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha, mediators produced by activated MO, in combination induce NO release in RT4 cells. Blocking of TNF-alpha or IL-1 in SN inhibited NO release in RT4 cells. This indicates that IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha play prominent roles in iNOS induction by MO in RT4 tumor cells.
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PMID:Human monocytes induce a carcinoma cell line to secrete high amounts of nitric oxide. 875 34

We have characterized the ability of several cell types associated with the microvasculature of solid tumors to release nitric oxide (NO.) in response to increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c). EA.hy926 immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC), rat fibroblasts (RFL), and tumorigenic cells isolated from R3230Ac rat mammary adenocarcinoma (MaC) were treated with thapsigargin (TG), an inhibitor of Ca(2+)-ATPase. NO. output was measured via a chemiluminescence detection system. Baseline NO. output was detectable only for EC. TG caused a significant increase in EC NO. output that could be blocked with NG-monomethyl-L-arginine and restored with L-arginine. TG did not stimulate NO. release from RFL or MaC cells, despite elevating [Ca2+]c in all cells. A Ca(2+)-dependent isoform of NO synthase (eNOS) was detected by immunoblot only in EC. These data indicate that EC, but not RFL or MaC, are capable of Ca(2+)-dependent NO. release and suggest that any Ca(2+)-dependent NO. release within this tumor is primarily of endothelial (and not tumorigenic cell) origin.
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PMID:Ca(2+)-dependent nitric oxide release in endothelial but not R3230Ac rat mammary adenocarcinoma cells. 876 62

Osteopontin (OPN), a secreted acidic phosphoglycoprotein found in many tissues and body fluids, is produced in increased amounts in response to certain infections and after malignant transformation. In this study we examined the action of OPN on macrophage cytotoxicity and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. A human OPN cDNA was cloned into the bacteriophage T7-based vector, pET8C, and the encoded protein purified from an induced culture of Escherichia coli carrying the plasmid. Recombinant OPN inhibited NO production by macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide plus interferon-gamma. OPN also inhibited the cytolytic activity of the activated macrophages toward NO-sensitive P815 mastocytoma cells, an action that was blocked by the NO synthase inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. Inhibition of NO production correlated with an OPN-dependent decrease in the abundance of inducible NO synthase mRNA. The shape of the dose-response curve, with a maximal effect over a narrow range of OPN concentrations, suggested a complex interaction of OPN with cell surface receptors. Our data support the hypothesis that tumor-cell-derived OPN functions to protect the tumor cells from macrophage-mediated destruction.
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PMID:Osteopontin inhibits nitric oxide production and cytotoxicity by activated RAW264.7 macrophages. 883 Jul 97


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