Combretastatin A-4 prodrug: a potent inhibitor of malignant hemangioendothelioma cell proliferation.

Anti-vascular treatment by targeting proliferating endothelial cells has become a promising option in anti-neoplastic therapy. Combretastatin A-4 prodrug (CA-4PD) has been identified as a selective inhibitor of endothelial cell proliferation, acting by the interruption of microtubule assembly. In this study, the effect of CA-4PD on proliferating endothelial cells derived from a primary tumor of the vascular endothelium was investigated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, CA-4PD was an effective inhibitor of endothelial cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, displaying a certain selectivity toward endothelial cells in comparison to proliferating fibroblasts. Analysis of DNA profiles by FACS revealed an increasing proportion of cells arrested in the G(2) cell-cycle phase with correlation to the duration of drug exposure. A decrease in cell viability correlated with duration of drug exposure, whereas FACS analysis, DNA fragmentation assay, and DNA gel electrophoresis failed to demonstrate that DNA fragmentation was indicative of apoptosis up to 48 hr of continued drug exposure. In vivo, CA-4PD induced excessive regressive alterations in experimentally allotransplanted hemangioendotheliomas within 24 hr after singular i. p. injection of 100 mg CA-4PD/kg body weight. This represented less than one-tenth of the maximum tolerated dose. In conclusion, our findings characterize CA-4PD as a potent inhibitor of malignant endothelial cell proliferation in vitro, effecting arrest of proliferating cells in the G(2) cell-cycle phase with subsequent cell death on a pathway different from apoptosis. in vivo, CA-4PD induces extensive intratumoral cell loss within 24 hr following systemic administration, suggesting a synergistic effect of direct cell killing and the induction of vascular shutdown. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.