• Yong-Feng Yu, Zhi-Wei Chen, Zi-Ming Li, Zong-Hai Li, and Shun Lu.
• Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
• Curr Ther Res Clin E. 2009 Apr 1;70(2):116-28.

BackgroundAngiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. Both cetuximab and endostatin have been found to reduce the expression of endothelial-stimulating growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin (IL)-8. However, the effects of cetuximab alone or in combination with endostatin on human lung adenocarcinoma cell growth remain unclear.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the cellular and molecular effects of cetuximab alone and in combination with endostatin on human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines HI 299, SPC-A1, and H460 in vitro. Methods The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status of a panel of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines was characterized using Western blot analysis. We used a modified tetrazolium salt assay to evaluate the growth-inhibitory effects of cetuximab and endostatin alone and in combination on the cell lines. We also determined the effects of these 2 drugs on VEGF and IL-8 expression using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis. Cells were treated for 4 days with cetuximab 12.5 μ/mL, endostatin 25 μ/mL, or cetuximab 12.5 μg/mL + endostatin 25 μg/mL. Untreated cells cultured for 4 days served as controls.ResultsEGFR expression in the H1299 cells was higher than in the SPC-A1 and H460 cells. Varying concentrations of cetuximab alone were associated with a significant growth-inhibitory effect on all 3 cell lines in a dose-dependent manner after 4 days of exposure compared with controls (all, P < 0.05). Compared with controls, varying concentrations of endostatin alone were not associated with significant inhibition of cell growth in any of the 3 cell lines. The inhibitory ratio of cetuximab + endostatin at varying concentrations was significantly greater than that of cetuximab alone (all, P < 0.05). On ELISA, either drug alone was associated with significant reductions in secreted VEGF and IL-8 in the HI 299, SPC-A1, and H460 cell lines (all, P < 0.05), with the exception of IL-8 concentration in the H460 cells. Mean (SD) VEGF expression with combination treatment in the H1299 and SPC-A1 cell lines (687 [21] and 629 [23] pg/mL, respectively) was significantly lower than with cetuxi-mab alone (878 [31] and 708 [20] pg/mL; both, P < 0.001); in the H460 cell line, combination treatment was not associated with a significant further reduction in VEGF expression. IL-8 concentrations with cetuximab in the H1299, SPC-A1, and H460 cell lines were 628 (20), 484 (29), and 532 (28) pg/mL, respectively, while the IL-8 concentrations with the combination treatment were 516 (20), 480 (18), and 467 (30) pg/mL. An enhanced effect of endostatin on IL-8 was observed in the H1299 and H460 cell lines (P < 0.001 and P = 0.018, respectively); however, no enhanced effect in the SPC-A1 line was observed. Similar results for VEGF and IL-8 expression were found using Western blot analysis.ConclusionsThe results from this in vitro study suggest that cetuximab treatment might both inhibit human lung adenocarcinoma cell line growth and reduce the expression of VEGF and IL-8, which are the biomarkers of angiogenesis. Endostatin was not associated with inhibition of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line growth directly. Findings with the combination of cetuximab + endostatin suggest that endostatin might enhance the antiangiogenic and antitumor activity of cetuximab through an apparent effect on VEGF expression and, to a lesser degree, on IL-8 expression.

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