Implication of von willebrand factor as a regulator of tumor cell metastasis: Potential perioperative use of desmopressin and novel peptide analogs

摘要

The review article by Luo et al. in Ada Haematologica [1] regarding the multifunctional role of the hemostatic glycopro-tein von Willebrand factor (vWF) was of great interest to'us. Among other functions, recent studies have implicated vWF as a regulator of angiogenesis and tumor cell metastasis. Using a vWF-deficient mouse model, Terraube et al. [2], in 2006, demonstrated that vWF plays a protective role against tumor cell dissemination in vivo. It appears that the glycoprotein can induce the death of metastatic cells early after their arrest in the microvasculature of the target organ. More recently, Mo-chizuki et al. [3] provided novel experimental evidence for the crucial role of vWF in resistance to metastasis. They found that aggressive human breast and non-small cell lung cancer cells with high levels of ADAM28 (a disintegrin and me-talloproteinase 28) are able to avoid VWF-induced apoptosis at micrometastatic sites. ADAM28 binds and degrades vWF, thus favoring the survival of metastatic cells in the tissue microenvironment.