Current treatment of
fibrosarcoma, an aggressive
cancer of the connective tissue, is generally associated with poor prognosis.
Matrix metalloproteinases (
MMPs),
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF), and constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM), such as
fibronectin, play a critical role in angiogenesis and underlie neoplastic invasion and
metastasis. This and anticancer properties of
lysine,
proline,
arginine,
ascorbic acid, and
green tea extract (NM) prompted us to investigate the effect of these nutrients in vitro on human
fibrosarcoma cells HT-1080 by measuring cell proliferation, modulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and invasive potential. In vivo, we studied the growth of human
fibrosarcoma HT-1080 cells in athymic nude mice and the expression of
MMPs and
VEGF. Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay,
MMP expression by
gelatinase zymography, and invasion through
Matrigel and migration by scratch assay.
Tumors were excised, weighed, and processed for histology in both the control and nutrient-supplemented groups. Results showed NM inhibited the growth and reduced the size of
tumors in nude mice; decreased MMP-9 and
VEGF secretion was found in the supplemented group tissues. NM inhibited invasion through
Matrigel and migration with total inhibition at 1,000 microg/mL. These results offer promise in the
therapeutic use of the nutrient mixture of
lysine,
proline,
arginine,
ascorbic acid, and
green tea extract tested in the treatment of
fibrosarcoma.