Endostatin competes with bFGF for binding to heparin-like glycosaminoglycans.

Endostatin is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis and tumor growth. Here, we used human endothelial cells from lung capillaries to investigate if endostatin competes with the proangiogenic growth factors, bFGF and VEGF, for binding to costimulatory heparan sulfate molecules. Endostatin inhibited 79% and 95% of the increase in proliferation induced by bFGF and VEGF165, respectively.

Circulating levels of angiogenic cytokines can predict tumour progression and prognosis in neuroendocrine carcinomas.

Objective: The growth behaviour of well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas of the gastro-entero-pancreatic system varies greatly and parameters predicting their prognosis are lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate whether tumour growth could be correlated with the release of proangiogenic factors into the circulation.

Patients And Methods: Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and angiogenin were measured in 38 patients with advanced neuroendocrine carcinomas and compared to healthy age-matched controls.