Metronomic treatment of temozolomide inhibits tumor cell growth through reduction of angiogenesis and augmentation of apoptosis in orthotopic models of gliomas

Oncol Rep. 2006 Jul;16(1):33-9.

Abstract

Glioblastoma is a highly angiogenic tumor with a dismal prognosis. Temozolomide (TMZ), a methylating agent is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents against glioblastoma. To overcome the problem that most of these tumors become resistant to chemotherapeutic regimens within a year, we investigated the antitumor efficacy of metronomic administration of low-dose TMZ in in vitro cell proliferation/cytotoxicity assay and in vivo rat and nude mouse orthotopic glioma model. By in vitro assay, we elucidated that C6/LacZ rat glioma cells were more resistant to metronomic treatment of TMZ than U-87MG human glioblastoma cells and bEnd.3 mouse brain endothelial cells. Compared with the conventional chemotherapeutic regimen of TMZ, we found that frequent administration of TMZ at a low dose (metronomic treatment) markedly inhibited angiogenesis as well as tumor growth in a TMZ-resistant C6/LacZ rat glioma model. In addition, metronomic treatment of TMZ significantly augmented apoptosis of tumor cells in this model. For the TMZ-sensitive U-87MG cells, even with a very low dose of TMZ, which is not effective to reduce tumor mass, the metronomic treatment of TMZ reduced the microvessel density, i.e. angiogenesis, in a nude mouse orthotopic model. In conclusion, for both models, the metronomic treatment of TMZ decreased angiogenesis. Especially, in TMZ-resistant glioma cells, this regimen increased apoptosis of tumor cells and decreased tumor growth. The metronomic treatment of TMZ in orthotopic glioma models demonstrated a successful antiangiogenic effect which can overcome the chemoresistance in conventional TMZ chemotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Dacarbazine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Dacarbazine / pharmacology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Glioma / pathology*
  • Glioma / therapy
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Temozolomide

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating
  • Dacarbazine
  • Temozolomide