Antitumoral effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide in human renal cell carcinoma xenografts in athymic nude mice

• VIP exerted antitumoral effects in renal cell carcinoma xenografts.
• VIP upregulated p53 and decreased nuclear β-catenin translocation.
• VIP decreased NFκB, MMP-2, MMP-9, VEGF and CD-34 levels.
• VIP led to differentiated tubular organization and less metastatic areas.

We studied antitumor effect of VIP in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (A498 cells xenografted in immunosuppressed mice). VIP-treated cells gave resulted in p53 upregulation and decreased nuclear β-catenin translocation and NFκB expression, MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities, VEGF levels and CD-34 expression. VIP led to a more differentiated tubular organization in tumours and less metastatic areas. Thus, VIP inhibits growth of A498-cell tumours acting on the major issues involved in RCC progression such as cell proliferation, microenvironment remodelling, tumour invasion, angiogenesis and metastatic ability. These antitumoral effects of VIP offer new therapeutical possibilities in RCC treatment.