Endoglin is a
transforming growth factor-β (TGF- β) co-receptor that participates in the activation of a signaling pathway that mediates endothelial cell proliferation and migration in angiogenic
tumor vasculature. Therefore, silencing of
endoglin expression is an attractive approach for antiangiogenic
therapy of
tumors. The aim of our study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of
small interfering RNA (
siRNA) molecules against
endoglin in vitro and in vivo. Therapeutic potential in vitro was assessed in human and murine endothelial cells (HMEC-1, 2H11) by determining
endoglin expression level, cell proliferation and tube formation. In vivo, the therapeutic potential of
siRNA molecules was evaluated in TS/A mammary
adenocarcinoma growing in BALB/c mice. Results of our study showed that
siRNA molecules against
endoglin have a good antiangiogenic therapeutic potential in vitro, as expression of
endoglin mRNA and
protein levels in mouse and human microvascular endothelial cells after lipofection were efficiently reduced, which resulted in the inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation. In vivo, silencing of
endoglin with triple electrotransfer of
siRNA molecules into TS/A mammary
adenocarcinoma also significantly reduced the
mRNA levels, number of
tumor blood vessels and the growth of
tumors. The obtained results demonstrate that silencing of
endoglin is a promising antiangiogenic
therapy of
tumors that could not be used as single treatment, but as an adjunct to the established cytotoxic treatment approaches.