SZ-117, a monoclonal antibody against matrix metalloproteinase-2 inhibits tumor cell-mediated angiogenesis.

In this study, using an in vitro tube formation model, we observed that SZ117, a monoclonal antibody against matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), attenuated a capillary-like tube structure formed by tumor endothelial cell 3B11 and human sarcoma cell MG63. In addition, gelatin zymography showed that SZ117 markedly inhibited MMP2 activity, but did not affect the capability of MMP9-mediated gelatin degradation. These data suggest that SZ117 might have an anti-tumor angiogenic effect and that angiogenic tumor cells and MMP2 may be targeted by monoclonal antibodies for novel anti-tumor angiogenic and anti-cancerous drug discovery.