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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Transfer of Manipulated Tumor-associated Neutrophils into Tumor-Bearing Mice to Study their Angiogenic Potential In Vivo
08:19

Transfer of Manipulated Tumor-associated Neutrophils into Tumor-Bearing Mice to Study their Angiogenic Potential In Vivo

Published on: July 20, 2019

Ezetimibe is an inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis

Keith R Solomon1, Kristine Pelton, Kelly Boucher

  • 1Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. keith.solomon@childrens.harvard.edu

The American Journal of Pathology
|January 31, 2009
PubMed

Insights

High cholesterol levels accelerate prostate cancer growth, while lowering cholesterol with medication like ezetimibe can slow tumor progression and inhibit blood vessel formation, aiding cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Metabolic Pathways
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Epidemiological and preclinical data suggest the mevalonate/cholesterol biosynthesis pathway influences prostate cancer progression.
  • Cholesterol metabolism is increasingly recognized as a potential factor in cancer development and growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the direct impact of circulating cholesterol levels on prostate cancer xenograft tumor growth.
  • To determine if pharmacological cholesterol reduction affects tumor angiogenesis and related molecular markers.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized ezetimibe, an FDA-approved cholesterol uptake inhibitor, in combination with hyper- and hypocholesterolemic diets in mice bearing human prostate cancer xenografts.
  • Assessed tumor growth, microvessel density, and levels of thrombospondin-1 (an angiogenesis inhibitor) in xenografts.

Main Results:

  • Elevated circulating cholesterol levels promoted prostate cancer xenograft tumor growth.
  • Reduced circulating cholesterol levels retarded tumor growth and decreased tumor angiogenesis, indicated by lower microvessel density.
  • Lowering cholesterol levels increased the expression of thrombospondin-1 within the tumors.

Conclusions:

  • Hypercholesterolemia directly accelerates prostate carcinoma growth.
  • Pharmacological reduction of serum cholesterol may inhibit prostate cancer progression by suppressing tumor angiogenesis.

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