The expression of antisense vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) sequences inhibits intracranial C6 glioma growth in vivo by suppressing tumour angiogenesis

Abstract

Human gliomas, including astrocytomas, consist of highly heterogeneous populations of cells that represent different stages of malignancy. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most highly vascularised class of solid tumour. In order to develop efficacious adjuvant therapies for gliomas the growth pathway(s) targeted must be common to all of these tumours. As angiogenesis is a requirement for all solid tumour growth, we have targeted this process in order to suppress glioma growth in vivo. We have applied antisense VEGF gene expression to disrupt the VEGF/VEGF receptor paracrine pathway in C6 glioma cells and, thereby, inhibit tumour angiogenesis. C6 glioma cells which constitutively express antise..