Lipoprotein[a] and cancer: anti-neoplastic effect besides its cardiovascular potency

Cancer Treat Rev. 2007 Aug;33(5):427-36. doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2007.02.006. Epub 2007 Apr 17.

Abstract

While the death rate from cancer has substantially decreased over the past decade, the search for effective and tolerable therapies is a great challenge as yet. The evidence that malignant cells cannot grow to a clinically detectable tumor mass and spread in the absence of an adequate vascular support, has opened a new area of research towards the selective inhibition or even destruction of tumor vessels. Angiostatin and angiostatin-related proteins are a family of specific angiogenesis inhibitors produced by tumors from a family of naturally occurring proteins, which also includes plasminogen and lipoprotein[a]. The anti-angiogenic activity of these proteins resides in cryptic and highly-repetitive molecular domains hidden within the protein moiety, called kringles. Lipoprotein[a] is an intriguing molecule consisting of a low-density lipoprotein core in addition to the covalently bound apolipoprotein[a]. Apolipoprotein[a] is characterized by an inactive protease domain, a single copy of the plasminogen kringle V and multiple repeats of domains homologous to the plasminogen kringle IV. Reliable studies on animal models indicate that the proteolytic break-down products of apolipoprotein[a] would posses anti-angiogenic and anti-tumoral properties both in vitro and in vivo, a premise to develop novel therapeutic modalities which may efficiently suppress tumor growth and metastasis. This review is focused on the biochemical structure, metabolism and the anti-angiogenic activity of this unique and elusive kringle-containing lipoprotein.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Angiostatins / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Arterial Occlusive Diseases / etiology
  • Humans
  • Lipoprotein(a) / blood
  • Lipoprotein(a) / genetics
  • Lipoprotein(a) / physiology
  • Lipoprotein(a) / therapeutic use*
  • Neoplasms / blood
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Lipoprotein(a)
  • Angiostatins