Quantifying the expression of VEGF using qRT-PCR, evaluation of MVD and their correlation with clinicopathological factors in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: In this study we quantified the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues and evaluated the correlation between the level of VEGF and microvessel density (MVD), and clinicopathological factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with LSCC undergoing total or partial laryngectomy at the Ear, Nose, and Throat and Head and Neck Surgery Department of the Izmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital between September 2006 and July 2008. There was no VEGF expression in two patients that were excluded from the study. Twenty-five patients (24 males, 1 female; mean age 61 years; range 43 to 82 years) were included in this study, but MVD levels of 10 patients could not be determined. RESULTS: As defined by the 2003 American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM classification, seven patients (28%) were stage 1, six patients (24%) were stage 2, four patients (16%) were stage 3, and eight patients (32%) were stage 4. Thirteen patients (52%) had well-differentiated (G1) tumors, and twelve had moderately differentiated tumors. Among the 15 patients for whom the MVD was determined, the median value was 48, with a (range 13-78; vessels / 3.76 mm2). Among the 25 patients for whom the VEGF level was determined, the median value was 0.035 vessels / 3.76 mm2 (range 0.010-0.127). CONCLUSION: We could not find a statistical correlation between clinicopathological factors and either VEGF or MVD. Our study demonstrates that VEGF is expressed by LSCC.

Combined gossypol and zoledronic acid treatment results in synergistic induction of cell death and regulates angiogenic molecules in ovarian cancer cells.

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the possible synergistic, cytotoxic effects of combination treatment of gossypol and zoledronic acid, in human ovarian cancer cell lines, OVCAR-3 and MDAH-2774, and to elucidate the role of this novel combination treatment on angiogenesis-related molecules in ovarian cancer. The XTT cell viability assay was used for showing cytotoxicity. Both DNA fragmentation by ELISA assay and caspase 3/7 activity measurement were used for demonstrating apoptosis. To elucidate the angiogenic molecules affected by combination treatment, mRNA levels of angiogenic molecules were measured using the Human Angiogenesis RT2 ProfilerTM PCR Array (SuperArray, Frederick, MD) in ovarian cancer cell lines, OVCAR-3 and MDAH-2774.The combined treatment resulted in significant, synergistic cytotoxicity, and induced apoptosis. This effect was observed to happen in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, the combination treatment of 10 microM gossypol and 5 microM zoledronic acid resulted in significant down-regulation (>or= thee-fold) in mRNA levels of some pivotal angiogenic molecules in OVCAR-3 and MDAH-2774 cells as compared to the untreated control. However, this effect was different in the two ovarian cancer cell lines observed. Gossypol, in combination with zoledronic acid, may provide a rational treatment option for ovarian cancer, not only by direct inhibition of cell proliferation, but also inhibition of angiogenesis-related molecules.