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Vasculogenic mimicry–potential target for glioblastoma therapy: an in vitro and in vivo study

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Abstract

Glioblastoma is one of the most angiogenic human tumors and characterized by microvascular proliferations. A better understanding of glioblastoma vasculature is needed to optimize anti-angiogenic therapy that has shown a promising but incomplete efficacy. The present study examined 48 glioblastomas by CD34 endothelial marker periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) dual staining and found non-endothelial cell-lined blood vessels that were formed by tumor cells (vasculogenic mimicry, VM) existing in a fraction of these tumors. We hypothesized that CD133-positive glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) may play a pivotal role in glioblastoma VM formation and then demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that a subset of GSCs were capable of vasculogenesis. Moreover, we found that several growth factors involved in normal angiogenesis were expressed in GSCs. We describe here a new mechanism of alternative glioblastoma vascularization and open a new perspective for the anti-vascular treatment strategy.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Xi-meng Yin and Lei Cui Ph.D., for their excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, 110001, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China

    Yinsheng Chen, Zhitao Jing, Junzhe Xia & Yunjie Wang

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, 515041, Shantou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Cheng Luo & Minghua Zhuang

  3. State Key Laboratory for Cancer Research in Southern China, Sun Yat-sen University, 510060, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongping Chen

  4. Department of Neurosurgery/Neuro-oncology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 510060, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongping Chen

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  1. Yinsheng Chen
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  2. Zhitao Jing
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  3. Cheng Luo
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  4. Minghua Zhuang
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  5. Junzhe Xia
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Correspondence to Yunjie Wang.

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Chen, Y., Jing, Z., Luo, C. et al. Vasculogenic mimicry–potential target for glioblastoma therapy: an in vitro and in vivo study. Med Oncol 29, 324–331 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-010-9765-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-010-9765-z

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