Inhibition of VEGF release from tumor-associated macrophages in human lung cancer.

血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）的mRNA表达先前在多种肿瘤细胞中被证实，然而，还没有关于肿瘤相关巨噬细胞（TAM）释放VEGF的报道。在本研究中，研究了从原发性非小细胞肺癌新鲜分离的TAM是否具有释放VEGF的潜力。50%的非小细胞肺癌新鲜标本TAM中检测到VEGF 121和VEGF 165的mRNA表达。从1例肺癌患者分离的TAM中检测到VEGF 189 mRNA的表达。然而，我们没有检测到VEGF 206的mRNA表达。从80%的无淋巴结受累的肺癌患者中分离的TAM表达VEGF 121和VEGF 165的mRNA，而从有淋巴结受累的患者中分离的TAM既不表达VEGF 121也不表达VEGF 165的mRNA。在培养基中孵育3天期间，表达VEGF 121和VEGF 165的mRNA的浓度为105个细胞/ml的TAM释放的VEGF的量为3298.1 ± 3859 pg/ml，而不表达VEGF 121和VEGF 165 mRNA的TAM分泌量为3.8 ± 6.6pg/ml。我们的研究结果表明，TAM分泌的VEGF可能在非小细胞肺癌的血管生成和转移中起关键作用，在淋巴结受累发生之前。

Expression of mRNA for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) previously demonstrated in a variety of tumor cells, however, there has been no report on VEGF release by tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). In the present study, whether TAM freshly separated from primary non-small cell lung cancer have a potential to release VEGF was investigated. The expressions of mRNA for both VEGF121 and VEGF165 were detected in TAM freshly separated from 50% of non-small cell lung cancer. The expression of mRNA for VEGF189 was detected in TAM separated from one lung cancer patient. However, we did not detect expression of mRNA for VEGF206. TAM separated from 80% of lung cancer patients without nodal involvement expressed mRNA for both VEGF121 and VEGF165, whereas TAM separated from patients with nodal involvement expressed neither mRNA for VEGF121 nor VEGF165. During 3 days' incubation in medium, the amount of VEGF released by TAM at a concentration of 105 cells/ml which expressed mRNA for VEGF121 and VEGF165 was 3298.1 ± 3859 pg/ml, whereas that secreted by TAM which expressed mRNA for neither VEGF121 nor VEGF165 was 3.8 ± 6.6 pg/ml.Our results indicated that VEGF secreted by TAM may play a key role in initiation of angiogenesis and metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer before nodal involvement occurs.