Epithelial-neutrophil activating peptide (ENA-78) is an important angiogenic factor in non-small cell lung cancer.

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Abstract

We report here the role of the CXC chemokine, epithelial neutrophil activating peptide (ENA-78), as an angiogenic factor in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In freshly isolated human specimens of NSCLC, elevated levels of ENA-78 were found that strongly correlated with the vascularity of the tumors. In a SCID mouse model of human NSCLC tumorigenesis, expression of ENA-78 in developing tumors correlated with tumor growth in two different NSCLC cell lines. Furthermore, passive immunization of NSCLC tumor-bearing mice with neutralizing anti-ENA-78 antibodies reduced tumor growth, tumor vascularity, and spontaneous metastases, while having no effect on the proliferation of NSCLC cells either in vitro or in vivo. These findings suggest that ENA-78 is an important angiogenic factor in human NSCLC.

Authors

D A Arenberg, M P Keane, B DiGiovine, S L Kunkel, S B Morris, Y Y Xue, M D Burdick, M C Glass, M D Iannettoni, R M Strieter