Inhibitory effects of synthetic β peptide on invasion and metastasis of liver cancer

Purpose: To study the inhibitory effects of synthetic β peptide on invasion and metastasis of liver cancer. Methods: Membrane-type intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression of SMMC-7721 cultured hepatoma cells (7721 cells) was detected by immunofluorescence cell flowmeter. The adhesion of 7721 cells to fibronectin (FN) was assayed by the MTT method. The adhesion of 7721 cells to 7721 cells, 7721 cells to endothelial cells, and 7721 cells to lymphocyte cells was detected by adhesion assay. LCI-D20 human liver cancer metastasis model in nude mice was used in this experiment. One hundred micrograms of β peptide per mouse were injected subcutaneously after tumor was resected premetastatically or postmetastatically to observe its effect on liver cancer metastasis after hepatectomy. Results: Membrane-type ICAM-1 expression of SMMC-7721 cells treated by β peptide was lower than that of the untreated cells. The adhesion of 7721 cells to FN, 7721 cells to 7721 cells, 7721 cells to endothelial cells, and 7721 cells to lymphocyte cells was also lower in the β peptide group than in the untreated group. Conclusions:β Peptide can block the adhesion of 7721 cells to FN, 7721 cells to some host cells in vitro, and inhibit HCC metastasis of LCI-D20 model posthepatectomy in vivo, so it could potentially act as an anti-metastasis drug.