Abdominal fluid of cancer patients contains vascular inhibitors.

2002 OCT 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Abdominal fluids produced by cancer patients, including those with ovarian cancer, produce natural vascular inhibitors as well as cancer boosters, scientists report.

Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada have identified a mixture of pro- and antiangiogenic proteins in the malignant ascites fluid (MAF) of patients with a variety of abdominal cancers.

For a new study, M. Richardson and colleagues studied the effect of MAF on capillary growth in chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and used a variety of assays to evaluate the contents of MAF specimens.

"MAF was collected from six patients, four with ovarian cancer, one with gastric cancer, and one with liver metastases," Richardson and colleagues stated.

Even though vascular endothelial growth factor, a proangiogenic protein, was identified in MAF, capillary growth was reduced when MAF was introduced to CAMs, according to study data. "A similar response was seen using purified human angiostatin," researchers explained.

Investigators also identified plasminogen, a precursor to the blood clot inhibitor plasmin, and a large protein with activity similar to ...