Exogenous Expression of Caspase-14 Induces Tumor Suppression in Human Salivary Cancer Cells by Inhibiting Tumor Vascularization

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 29; no. 10; pp. 3811 - 3818
• Main Authors: Wu, Mengjie, Kodani, Isamu, Dickinson, Douglas, Huff, Frank, Ogbureke, Kalu U E, Qin, Haiyan, Arun, Senthil, Dulebohn, Rachel, Al-Shabrawey, Mohamed, Tawfik, Amany, Prater, Susan, Lewis, Jill, Wataha, John, Messer, Regina, Hsu, Stephen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Attiki International Institute of Anticancer Research 01.10.2009
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - blood supply; Adenocarcinoma - enzymology; Adenocarcinoma - genetics; Adenocarcinoma - therapy; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Caspase 14 - biosynthesis; Caspase 14 - genetics; Caspase 14 - metabolism; Cell Growth Processes - genetics; Cell Line, Tumor; DNA, Neoplasm - biosynthesis; DNA, Neoplasm - genetics; Female; Genetic Therapy - methods; Genetic Vectors - genetics; Humans; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neovascularization, Pathologic - enzymology; Neovascularization, Pathologic - genetics; Neovascularization, Pathologic - pathology; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Plasmids - genetics; Salivary Gland Neoplasms - blood supply; Salivary Gland Neoplasms - enzymology; Salivary Gland Neoplasms - genetics; Salivary Gland Neoplasms - therapy; Transfection; Tumors; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Human; Enzyme; Stomatology; Cysteine endopeptidases; Caspase; Caspase-14; Malignant tumor; Vascularization; Peptidases; Salivary gland disease; Cancerology; Treatment; Salivary gland cancer; Hydrolases; Gene therapy; Tumor cell; Cancer
• ISSN: 0250-7005; 1791-7530

Background: Current therapeutic approaches to salivary gland cancer are often associated with severe disfigurement and loss of glandular function, which are traumatic to the patients. Exploration of novel treatment approaches, such as gene therapy, is needed. Materials and Methods: The human salivary gland cancer cell line HSG was transiently transfected with full length human caspase-14 cDNA. Photomicroscopy, BrdU assay, cell counting, MTT assay, and TUNEL assay were applied. To determine the tumorigenicity, tumor volume, tumor pathology and vascularization were analyzed in vivo. Results: Cell growth and viability were inhibited significantly by transient caspase-14 expression. Caspase-14 expression resulted in a significant reduction of tumorigenicity. Importantly, a significant decrease in tumor blood vessel formation was observed. Conclusion: Salivary gland cancer cells underwent growth inhibition, cell death, and reduced tumorigenicity in vivo when exogenous caspase-14 was expressed, which could be due, in part, to an inhibitory effect of caspase-14 on tumor vascularization.