The current studies investigated the potential of conventional chemotherapeutic agents to inhibit the proliferation of capillary endothelial cells and to affect tumor angiogenesis using a murine bladder cancer model. Endothelial cell lines were established from the skin and used for an in vitro target. The anti-angiogenesis activity was assessed by an i.d. assay. Among the eight agents examined, adriamycin, 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, and methotrexate preferentially inhibited the cell proliferation. However, these agents showed no influence on tumor angiogenesis. In contrast, mitomycin C, which was less cytotoxic to endothelial cells in vitro, showed a significant anti-angiogenesis activity. The data suggest that certain chemotherapeutic agents had anti-angiogenesis activity distinct from cytotoxicity.

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