Soluble Flt-1 gene therapy for peritoneal metastases using HVJ-cationic liposomes

Many studies have reported a close association between VEGF and tumor angiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of gene therapy against cancer, including peritoneal metastasis, using a cDNA encoding a soluble type of Flt-1, one of the VEGF receptors. In a peritoneal metastasis model of MKN45 human gastric cancer cells, mice repetitively treated with intraperitoneal injections of HVJ-Fex, a type of HVJ-cationic liposome encapsulating a plasmid expressing soluble mFlt-1, exhibited smaller disseminated foci with fewer microvessels, thus resulting in a significantly longer survival period than the control mice. In another peritoneal metastasis model using HT1080S cells, a clone of HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells stably transfected with hVEGF, treatments with HVJ-Fex also reduced the growth of disseminated foci without ascites formation. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the peritoneal metastases of some cancers were largely dependent on VEGF, and that the repeated intraperitoneal transduction of a soluble fit-1 gene using HVJ-cationic liposomes suppressed peritoneal metastases, thereby contributing to a longer survival period.