Epithalon decelerates aging and suppresses development of breast adenocarcinomas in transgenic her-2/neu mice

Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002 Aug;134(2):187-90. doi: 10.1023/a:1021104819170.

Abstract

Female transgenic FVB/N mice carrying the breast cancer gene HER-2/neu received epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) in a dose of 1 mg subcutaneously 5 times a week to from the 2nd month of life to death. Epithalon prolonged the average and maximum lifetimes of mice by 13.5 (p<0.05) and 13.9%, respectively. The peptide prolonged the average lifetime of animals without neoplasms (by 34.2%, p<0.05). Epithalon decelerated the development of age-related disturbances in reproductive activity and suppressed the formation of neoplasms. The peptide decreased the incidence of breast adenocarcinomas, lungs metastases (by 1.6 times, p<0.05), and multiple tumors (by 2 times). Epithalon 3.7-fold increased the number of mice without breast tumors (p<0.05), while the number of animals with 6 or more breast tumors decreased by 3 times (p<0.05). Epithalon prolonged the lifetime of mice with breast tumors by 1.4 times (p<0.05). These results indicate that Epithalon possesses geroprotective activity and inhibits breast carcinogenesis in transgenic mice, which is probably related to suppression of HER-2/neu expression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / genetics
  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology*
  • Aging / drug effects*
  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / genetics*

Substances

  • Oligopeptides
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • alanyl-glutamyl-aspartyl-glycine