The antiangiogenic agent Neovastat (AE-941) induces endothelial cell apoptosis

Neovastat (AE-941), a naturally occurring multifunctional antiangiogenic agent, has been shown to inhibit key components of the angiogenic process, including matrix metalloproteinases and vascular endothelial growth factor-mediated signaling events. In this study, we report the presence of a proapoptotic activity within this compound. Neovastat treatment of bovine aortic endothelial cells caused cell death with characteristics of apoptosis, including chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation. Neovastat markedly induced caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 activities, at similar levels to those measured in cells treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Activation of caspases by Neovastat appears to be essential for its proapoptotic effects because all apoptotic features were blocked by zVAD-fmk, a broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor. The activation of caspases was correlated with the cleavage of the nuclear substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and by a concomitant release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytoplasm. Neovastat-induced apoptosis appears to be specific to endothelial cells because treatment of other cell types such as U-87, COS-7, NIH-3T3, and SW1353 did not result in increased caspase-3 activity. These results demonstrate that Neovastat contains a proapoptotic factor that specifically induces the activation of caspases in endothelial cells and the resulting apoptosis of these cells.