Original Article
Cancer Gene Therapy (2003) 10, 105–111 doi:10.1038/sj.cgt.7700530
Bifidobacterium adolescentis as a delivery system of endostatin for cancer gene therapy: Selective inhibitor of angiogenesis and hypoxic tumor growth
Xi Li1, Geng-Feng Fu1,2, Yan-Rong Fan2, Wen-Hua Liu2, Xin-Juan Liu2, Jian-Jun Wang1 and Gen-Xing Xu1,2
- 1School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- 2Nanjing Military Medical College of Second Military Medical University, Nanjing, China
Correspondence: Dr Gen-Xing Xu, Nanjing Military Medical College of Second Military Medical University, PO Box 4901, 2 Maqun Road, Nanjing 210049, China. E-mail: genxingx@yahoo.com.cn
Received 21 February 2002; Accepted 3 September 2002.
Abstract
In order to overcome difficulties that hampered widespread application of antiangiogenesis in cancer therapy, a highly specific delivery system may be engaged in vivo to deliver and express antiangiogenic genes. We selected a strain of Bifidobacterium adolescentis (B. adolescentis) as the delivery system to transport endostatin gene to solid tumors. B. adolescentis with endostatin gene were injected into tumor-bearing mice through the tail vein. After the mice were sacrificed, the tumor and some normal tissues of the mice were examined. B. adolescentis were only found in the tumors and no bacilli were found in other normal tissues. Also, a strong inhibition of angiogenesis had been shown to inhibit local tumor growth in the administrated group. These results suggested that B. adolescentis only germinated and proliferated in solid tumors and might be a highly specific and efficient vector for transporting anticancer genes into target tumor in cancer gene therapy.
Keywords:
Bifidobacterium adolescentis, endostatin, angiogenesis, tumor, gene therapy
