Interleukin-10-mediated Inhibition of Angiogenesis and Tumor Growth in Mice Bearing VEGF-producing Ovarian Cancer

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an immunosuppressive cytokine produced by T lymphocytes and drawing attention as an inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis. In this study, we investigated antiangiogenic and tumor suppressive effects of IL-10 in ovarian cancer cells. mIL-10-expressing plasmid was transferred into two ovarian cancer cell lines, SHIN-3 [vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) producing] and KOC-2S (non-VEGF producing). After selection, mIL-10-expressing cells were obtained as SHIN-3/mIL-10 and KOC-2S/mIL-10. No significant differences were observed in in vitro growth properties between mIL-10-expressing cells and control (luciferase expressing) cells in either KOC-2S or SHIN-3. The angiogenic activities of mIL-10-expressing cells were measured by dorsal air sac assay, which detected the number of newly formed blood vessels within a chamber in vivo. In addition, tumor formation was evaluated by s.c. tumor transplantation, and survival was monitored after i.p. injection of ovarian cancer cells into BALB/c nude mice. Both in vivo angiogenic activity and tumor growth were significantly inhibited in SHIN-3/mIL-10 cells compared with the control. Moreover, peritoneal dissemination was inhibited, and the survival period was significantly prolonged (mean survival days > 90 versus 36). In contrast, in the case of KOC-2S cells, no significant differences were observed in any of the parameters tested. These results indicate that IL-10 has suppressive effects on angiogenesis, tumor growth, and peritoneal dissemination of VEGF-producing ovarian cancer cells. Although the mechanisms of the antiangiogenic effect of IL-10 are still unclear, the potential usefulness of IL-10-mediated gene therapy of ovarian cancer was suggested.