Hyaluronidase induces a transcapillary pressure gradient and improves the distribution and uptake of liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx) in human osteosarcoma xenografts.

Liposomal drug delivery enhances the tumour selective localisation and may improve the uptake compared to free drug. However, the drug distribution within the tumour tissue may still be heterogeneous. Degradation of the extracellular matrix is assumed to improve the uptake and penetration of drugs. The effect of the ECM-degrading enzyme hyaluronidase on interstitial fluid pressure and microvascular pressure were measured in human osteosarcoma xenografts by the wick-in-needle and micropipette technique, respectively. The tumour uptake and distribution of liposomal doxorubicin were studied on tumour sections by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The drugs were injected i.v. 1 h after the hyaluronidase pretreatment. Intratumoral injection of hyaluronidase reduced interstitial fluid pressure in a nonlinear dose-dependent manner. Maximum interstitial fluid pressure reduction of approximately 50% was found after injection of 1500 U hyaluronidase. Neither intratumoral nor i.v. injection of hyaluronidase induced any changes in the microvascular pressure. Thus, hyaluronidase induced a transcapillary pressure gradient, resulting in a four-fold increase in the tumour uptake and improving the distribution of the liposomal doxorubicin. Hyaluronidase reduces a major barrier for drug delivery by inducing a transcapillary pressure gradient, and administration of hyaluronidase adjuvant with liposomal doxorubicin may thus improve the therapeutic outcome.

Uptake of IgG in osteosarcoma correlates inversely with interstitial fluid pressure, but not with interstitial constituents.

The uptake of therapeutic macromolecules in solid tumours is assumed to be hindered by the heterogeneous vascular network, the high interstitial fluid pressure, and the extracellular matrix. To study the impact of these factors, we measured the uptake of fluorochrome-labelled IgG using confocal laser scanning microscopy, interstitial fluid pressure by the 'wick-in-needle' technique, vascular structure by stereological analysis, and the content of the extracellular matrix constituents collagen, sulfated glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronan by colourimetric assays. The impact of the microenvironment on these factors was studied using osteosarcomas implanted either subcutaneously or orthotopically around the femur in athymic mice. The uptake of IgG was found to correlate inversely with the interstitial fluid pressure and the tumour volume in orthotopic, but not subcutaneous tumours. No correlation was found between IgG uptake and the level of any of the extracellular matrix constituents. The content of both collagen and glycosaminoglycans depended on the site of tumour growth. The orthotopic tumours had a higher vascular density than the subcutaneous tumours, as the vascular surface and length were 2-3-fold higher. The data indicate that the interstitial fluid pressure is a dominant factor in controlling the uptake of macromolecules in solid tumours; and the site of tumour growth is important for the uptake of macromolecules in small tumours, extracellular matrix content and vascularization.

Interstitial fluid pressure in human osteosarcoma xenografts: significance of implantation site and the response to intratumoral injection of hyaluronidase.

Elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) in solid tumors may reduce the effect of systemically administered anticancer drugs. Modulation of the tumor extracellular matrix might reduce the elevated IFP. To study the influence of the microenvironment, the IFP was measured in human osteosarcoma xenografts grown both subcutaneously and orthotopically. The IFP response was recorded in xenografts grown at both sites after direct intratumoral injection of bovine testicular hyaluronidase (500 or 1600 units in 50 microliters saline). Control tumors received 50 microliters saline alone or 10% bovine serum albumin in saline. IFP was measured centrally in the tumors using the wick-in-needle technique, and mean arterial blood pressure was monitored after carotid cannulation. Tumor tissue sections were stained with hyaluronectin and analyzed for hyaluronan content using confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy. The baseline IFP was significantly higher in orthotopic (30 +/- 9 mmHg, n = 30) compared with subcutaneous tumors (17 +/- 6 mmHg, n = 11) of comparable sizes (p < 0.001). Injection of hyaluronidase reduced the IFP in both tumor models to 61-81% compared with controls 1 h after injection (p < 0.05), without affecting the mean arterial blood pressure significantly. The hyaluronan staining intensity increased in subcutaneous tumor sections, but remained unchanged in orthotopic tumor sections 1 h after injection of 1600 units of hyaluronidase. The IFP was restored within 48 h after hyaluronidase injection. Interestingly, IFP increased with tumor volume in orthotopic tumors, but not in subcutaneous tumors. In conclusion, intratumoral hyaluronidase injection reduces the IFP transiently in solid osteosarcoma xenografts. Furthermore, this study emphasizes that physiological parameters might differ significantly between human osteosarcoma xenografts grown subcutaneously versus orthotopically in nude mice.

Hyaluronidase-induced periodic modulation of the interstitial fluid pressure increases selective antibody uptake in human osteosarcoma xenografts.

Periodic modulation of the elevated interstitial fluid pressure might improve filtration and uptake of tumor-targeting macromolecules (e.g. radioimmunoconjugates) in solid tumors. Cycling of the tumor interstitial fluid pressure was initiated by intratumoral injections of bovine testicular hyaluronidase (BTH, 1,600 U) in osteosarcoma-bearing nude mice. BTH injection was repeated at 3-day intervals up to 9 days, in conjunction with tail vein injections of 125I-labeled TP-3 monoclonal antibody against an osteosarcoma-associated antigen (n = 9) or non-specific 125I-labeled UPC-10 antibody (n = 9). Control mice received intratumoral injections of phosphate buffered saline (n = 18). The radioactivities of tumor and normal tissues (blood, liver, kidney and spleen) were measured and compared between the different groups. BTH injections increased the tumor uptake of specific 125I-labeled TP-3 significantly by approximately 70% in mice receiving 3 fractions compared to 1-2 fractions of the antibody (p < 0.05). The tumor/normal tissue ratio in mice receiving 3 fractions of 125I-labeled TP-3 (n = 5) was significantly higher for all tissues, compared with mice receiving 1-2 fractions (n = 4) (p < 0.05). Control injections did not affect the tumor/blood ratio, but increased the uptake of 125I-labeled TP-3 significantly in kidney and spleen (p < 0.05). Also, BTH reduced the uptake of 125I-labeled UPC-10 in tumor and liver by approximately 20% compared with controls (p < 0.05). The results indicate that periodic lowering of the tumor interstitial fluid pressure might increase the specificity of blood-borne monoclonal antibodies to solid tumors in vivo.

Hyaluronidase reduces the interstitial fluid pressure in solid tumours in a non-linear concentration-dependent manner.

Hyaluronidase has gained increasing interest as an adjuvant in local and systemic cancer therapy, despite the incomplete knowledge of its physiological function. To this end, direct intratumoral injection of bovine testicular hyaluronidase (500, 1600 or 7500 U in 50 microl phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)) was performed in orthotopic (o.t.) osteosarcoma xenografts grown in the hind leg of nude mice. Control tumours received 50 microl PBS alone or supplemented with 10% bovine serum albumin (BSA). Central tumour interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) were measured using the wick-in-needle technique and after cannulation of the carotid artery, respectively. IFP was 32 +/- 8 mmHg (n = 44, mean +/- SD) in untreated tumours and there was a significant correlation between tumour IFP and volume (P < 0.01). The hyaluronidase injection reduced IFP to 63-84% after 1 h compared with controls (P < 0.05) and in a non-linear concentration-dependent manner. MABP was not affected significantly. In conclusion, an intratumoral hyaluronidase injection might reduce IFP temporally in solid osteosarcoma xenografts.

Cell cycle-dependent regulation of CDw75 (beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase) on human B lymphocytes.

Within the hematopoietic system, CDw75 is primarily expressed on cells of the B cell lineage. Cloning and sequencing of the gene has shown CDw75 to be a beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase. This enzyme plays an important role in the intracellular terminal glycosylation pathways in various cell types. In this article, we demonstrate that COS cells transfected with the CDw75 cDNA clone displayed sialyltransferase activity, in contrast to mock-transfected cells. We also found that activated B cells displayed an increased enzyme activity compared to resting cells, in accordance with the staining data. Moreover, CDw75 expression was found to be up-regulated approximately 7-9-fold from early G1 to the G2/M phases of the cell cycle in peripheral blood leukocyte B cells. This was shown by staining of in vitro activated B cells with the anti-CDw75 monoclonal antibody HH2, using cell fractions corresponding to different stages of the cell cycle. Using a combination of Hoechst 33258 and propidium iodide after bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, it is possible to distinguish between different phases of the first and second cell cycle. By combining this with HH2 immunofluorescence staining, using a multistation multiparameter flow cytometry program, we confirmed the cell cycle-dependent expression of CDw75. Immunocytochemical stainings of cytospin specimens of elutriated B cells showed that the antigen was up-regulated in late G1 before the appearance of the nuclear activation antigen Ki67. Finally, we showed that activated B cells secreted soluble CDw75 into the medium, as demonstrated by a specific blocking of HH2 staining of B cells using suboptimal concentrations of HH2. In accordance with this, we observed small, but detectable levels of soluble sialyltransferase activity in supernatants of activated B cells.

Ki67 and 4F2 antigen expression as well as DNA synthesis predict survival at relapse/tumour progression in low-grade B-cell lymphoma.

Previous work has shown that parameters of cell activation studied on lymphoma biopsies can be used to discriminate between low-grade and high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and to predict prognosis in the low-grade malignancy group alone. We have now examined expression of several activation antigens and indicators of DNA synthesis in 29 patients with low-grade malignant B-cell lymphomas at the time of primary diagnosis and later at relapse and/or tumour progression. At both times, the level of 4F2 antigen expression examined by flow cytometry on cells in suspension as well as the number of Ki67 antigen-positive cells examined by immunohistochemistry were predictive of patient survival. DNA synthesis estimated by (3H-TdR) thymidine incorporation was of prognostic value at the second biopsy only. These parameters were more sensitive than histological demonstration of morphological transformation in secondary high-grade lymphomas in identifying high-risk patients at repeated biopsy. We propose that Ki67 or 4F2 expression or a marker of DNA synthesis (such as 3H-TdR incorporation or labelling index) should be evaluated when repeated biopsies are performed, in order to select patients for whom aggressive chemotherapy may be considered.

Transcription of protooncogenes during stimulation of normal human B lymphocytes.

Protooncogenes play important roles in the regulation of growth and differentiation of normal cells. In this study we have examined the cell cycle-dependent regulation of transcription of various protooncogenes after stimulation of human peripheral blood B lymphocytes. The transcriptional rate of various genes was determined by means of a nuclear run-on assay. We found that several protooncogenes were transcriptionally activated after stimulation (myc, p53, K-ras, H-ras, sis and ets), but with different kinetics of induction. In contrast, some oncogenes, especially those encoding membrane-associated or cytoplasmatic proteins like abl, rel or mil/raf, were transcribed at a relatively constant rate during the cell cycle.

Downregulation of c-myc RNA is not a prerequisite for reduced cell proliferation, but is associated with G1 arrest in B-lymphoid cell lines.

We related the effects of c-myc expression on the ability of growth inhibitors to block the cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. In two different B-cell lines, there was an association between the accumulation of cells in the middle to late G1 phase of the cell cycle and a rapid transient downregulation of c-myc mRNA levels. The phorbol ester TPA and the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin reduced the c-myc RNA, levels and after 3 days of treatment a proportion of the cells accumulated in G1. In contrast, neither interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha nor the monoclonal antibody 33-1 against DQ major histocompatibility antigens changed the cell-cycle distribution or regulated the c-myc RNA levels. Yet, all five growth inhibitors reduced the proliferation to approximately the same extent. The growth reduction was not accompanied by definite differentiation, as judged by the absence of the B-cell differentiation marker B1 (CD20).