Study summary · research use only
Inhibitory effect of the peptide epitalon on the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu transgenic mice
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This mouse study used female FVB/N HER-2/neu transgenic mice given monthly subcutaneous injections of saline, Epitalon, or Vilon (1 microgram/mouse for 5 consecutive days) from age 2 months. Epitalon was associated with reduced cumulative tumor number and maximum tumor size, more mice with only 1 tumor and fewer with 2 or more, and smaller lung metastases, versus saline. Vilon was associated with increased mammary cancer incidence, shorter mean tumor latency, and higher cumulative tumor number versus controls. HER-2/neu mRNA in tumors was 3.7-fold lower in the Epitalon group than controls, while the Vilon group showed a 1.9-fold increase relative to Epitalon. The authors suggest downregulation of HER-2/neu may contribute to this pattern.
Abstract
Female FVB/N HER-2/neu transgenic mice from the age of 2 months were subcutaneously injected with saline, the peptide Epitalon(R) (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) or with the peptide Vilon(R) (Lys-Glu) in a single dose of 1 microg/mouse for 5 consecutive days every month. Epitalon treatment reduced the cumulative number and the maximum size of tumors (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the number of mice bearing 1 mammary tumor was increased, whereas the number of mice bearing 2 or more mammary tumors was reduced in Epitalon-treated in comparison to saline-treated animals (p < 0.05). The size but not the number of lung metastases was reduced in Epitalon-treated compared to saline-treated mice (p < 0.05). The treatment with Vilon produced significant negative effects when compared to the control group, with an increased incidence of mammary cancer development (p < 0.05), a shorter mean latent period of tumors (p < 0.05) and an increased cumulative number of tumors (p < 0.05). A 3.7-fold reduction in the expression of HER-2/neu mRNA was found in mammary tumors from HER-2/neu transgenic mice treated with Epitalon compared to control animals. The expression of mRNA for HER-2/neu was also partially reduced in Vilon-treated mice, but it remained significantly higher in Vilon- than in Epitalon-treated animals (1.9-fold increase). The data demonstrate the inhibitory effect of Epitalon in the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu mice, suggesting that a downregulation of HER-2/neu gene expression in mammary adenocarcinoma may be responsible, at least in part, for the antitumor effect of the peptide.
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