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VEGF and carcinogens in lung cancer

nicotine and oestradiol VEGF

Jarzynka et al. investigated the effect of nicotine on lung cancer cells in a preclinical study. This image shows VEGF expression in mice with A549 NSCLC in: a) control group; b) nicotine-treated; c) oestradiol-treated; and d) nicotine- and oestradiol-treated.5

Reprinted from Int J Oncol. Vol 28. Jarzynka MJ, Guo P, Bar-Joseph I, Hu B, Cheng SY. Oestradiol and nicotine exposure enhances A549 bronchioloalveolar carcinoma xenograft growth in mice through the stimulation of angiogenesis. Pages 337–44. © 2006. Reproduced with permission from copyright holder.

Nicotine and oestradiol promote VEGF secretion by NSCLC tumours

Lung cancer is strongly linked to a known carcinogen – tobacco smoking.

  • Preclinical research indicates that expression of VEGF may be one way in which cells react to nicotine, a component of tobacco.
 

Jarzynka and colleagues studied the exposure of mice with xenograft bronchioloalveolar carcinoma to oestradiol, nicotine, or both.

  • Mice exposed to both oestradiol and nicotine developed significantly larger tumours than control animals and their tumours had significantly higher increases in MVD.
  • Mice exposed to nicotine alone demonstrated higher MVD as well, but this difference was not statistically significant.
  • As stated by the investigators, "These results suggest that oestradiol and nicotine may act in concert to stimulate angiogenesis in vivo."
 

As with MVD, VEGF expression was also shown to correlate with exposure to oestradiol and nicotine together.

  • Individually, nicotine increased VEGF expression slightly, while a greater increase was seen with oestradiol alone.
  • The clinical significance of these findings is unknown.5