Early in vitro studies have shown that the EPT-peptide:
- Suppresses colony formation of cancer cells in soft agar (i.e., suppresses anchorage-independent growth of cancer cells);
- Inhibits invasion of cancer cells across matri-gel membrane;
- Induces programmed cell death of cancer cells;
- Up-regulates the expression of fibronectin 1 and laminin receptor genes in cancer cells;
- Down-regulates the expression of VEGF, urokinase activator and metalloprotease genes in cancer cells
- Cancer cells studied are:
- Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and ZR-75-1)
- Colon cancer cells (HT29)
- Hepatoma cells (HepG2)
- Leukemia cells
- Neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-F1)
- Ovarian cancer cells (SKOV and OVCAR)
- Protease cancer cells (PC3)
- Small lung cancer cells (NCI-H526F)
Therefore, EPT-peptide has the following unique anti-tumor activities:
- Inhibits cancer cell growth, invasion/metastasis and cancer-induced angiogenesis
- Induces apoptosis in cancer cells but not in non-cancerous cells
Furthermore, EPT-peptide possesses many additional unique properties that makes it an ideal candidate for new cancer therapeutic agent:
- Targets and kills only cancer cells but is harmless to healthy cells
- Is produced naturally, which reduces the risk of developing immune rejection upon prolong use
- Can be reduced to a molecular size suitable for drug-delivery by nanotechnology
- Is thermally stable
- Is soluble in biological fluids