This study was designed to elucidate the therapeutic effect of transfering the brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1) gene to a mouse renal cell carcinoma cell line (Renca). Female BALB/c mice were inoculated subcutaneously with wild-type Renca (Renca/Wild) cells or Renca cells transfected with the BAI-1 (Renca/BAI-1) or LacZ (Renca/LacZ) gene. Tumor growth was observed every other day from 3 to 35 days after implantation. Moreover, the intratumoral injection of the adenovirus vector containing the gene encoding BAI1 was conducted at two-day intervals from 11 to 31 days after implantation of the Renca/Wild or Renca/BAI1 tumor. Tumor blood flow was measured by colorimetric angiogenesis assay (CAA). The concentration of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the cell culture supernatants was determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. The size of the Renca/BAI1 tumor was significantly (p<0.01) suppressed compared to the Renca/Wild and Renca/LacZ tumors 21 days after tumor implantation. The injection of the BAI1 viral vector at 2-day intervals significantly inhibited the growth of both the Renca/Wild and Renca/BAI1 tumors. The blood volume measured by CAA and microvessel density was significantly lower in the Renca/BAI1 than in the Renca/Wild and Renca/LacZ tumors (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). A significant (p<0.01) reduction in VEGF concentration in the supernatant was demonstrated in the Renca/BAI1 compared with the Renca/Wild and Renca/LacZ cell cultures. These observations suggest that the transfer of the BAI1 gene to Renca can suppress the tumor growth via the inhibition of angiogenesis. The down-regulation of VEGF production in tumor cells contributes to this anti-tumor effect.

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