Targeting of an Anti-Metastatic and Anti-Angiogenic Compound to Breast Tumors

摘要

Anastellin is a fragment of fibronectin which inhibits angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis in vivo. A structurally similar synthetic peptide anginex also has anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor effects and has been found to resemble anastellin in several biochemical aspects, including dependence on, circulating plasma fibronectin to be active in vivo. The specific homing of anastellin and anginex to angiogenic's; blood vessels also requires the presence of fibronectin and is inhibited when an RGD peptide is co-injected. Using NMR structural data we have also produced multiple variants of anastellin that contain 'mutations in' key nucleic acid positions which alter the structure of anastellin. These variants can help elucidate the structure- function relationship-of angiogenesis inhibitors.