Ovarian cancer: Stat3, RhoA and IGF-IR as therapeutic targets

Cancer Lett. 2012 Apr 28;317(2):207-17. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2011.11.026. Epub 2011 Nov 25.

Abstract

Seeking to improve ovarian cancer therapy, we compared biological characteristics of the moderately-aggressive OVCAR-3 cell line with two highly aggressive ovarian cancer cell populations: the SK-OV-3 cell line, and HASCJ primary cells isolated from the ascitic fluid of a patient with FIGO stage IV ovarian cancer. Secretion of angiogenic factors was not discriminative, whereas cell invasion through Matrigel and vasculogenic mimicry were much greater in the more aggressive cells. Among 10 agents tested for their ability to decrease cancer cell aggressivity using these two models, inhibitors of Stat3, IGF-IR and Rho GTPase were found to be the most promising.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology
  • Receptor, IGF Type 1 / metabolism*
  • STAT3 Transcription Factor / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / metabolism*

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • STAT3 Transcription Factor
  • Receptor, IGF Type 1
  • rhoA GTP-Binding Protein