Administration of heat shock protein 65 inhibits murine melanoma growth in vivo.

The association between heat shock protein (HSP) 65 and immune diseases has been investigated for many years. The aim of this study was to explore the antitumor effects and possible antitumor mechanism of HSP65. Mice were immunized with HSP65 via subcutaneous injection. Specific IgG antibodies against HSP65 were detected in the sera of immunized mice by enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay and verified by western blot analysis. HSP65 effectively inhibited the growth of tumors as well as both the protective and therapeutic antitumor immunities in the melanoma tumor models of mice and prolonged the survival of the tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, HSP65 also attenuated tumor-induced angiogenesis in the intradermal model and pulmonary metastasis in the tail intravenously injected model of mice. It was demonstrated that the administration of HSP65 is able to effectively inhibit the growth, angiogenesis and metastasis of murine melanoma in vivo and provide new prospects for the immunotherapy of melanoma.