Education

Main scientific results

1. Creation and maintaince of original inbred mouse collection with various incidences of mammary cancer and leukemic lymphoma in non-SPF conditions.

2. Development of original set of mouse models of human malignant diseases followed by chronic inflammation.     

3. Two books were published:

Utrecht University, 2005

and

Scientific societies’ membership

Member of European Personalized Medicine Association

Selected publications

1. Moiseeva E.V., Kuznetsova N.R., Svirshchevskaya E.V., Bovin N.V., Sitnikov N.S., Shavyrin A.S., Beletskaya I.P., Combes S., Fedorov A.Y.u., Vodovozova E.L. (2011). Liposome formulations of combretastatin A4 and its 4-arylcoumarin analogue prodrugs: The antitumor effect in the mouse model of breast cancer. Biochemistry (Moscow) Supplement Series B: Biomedical Chemistry Biochemistry (Moscow) Supplement Series B: Biomedical Chemistry 5 (3), 276–283 [+]

   The antimitotic agent combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) has been recently proposed as an antivascular agent for anticancer therapy. In order to reduce systemic toxicity by means of administration in liposome formulations, new lipophilic prodrugs, oleic derivatives of CA-4 and its 4-arylcoumarin analogue (CA4-Ole and ArC-Ole, respectively), have been synthesized in this study. Liposomes with mean diameter of 100 nm prepared on the basis of egg phosphatidylcholine and baker’s yeast phosphatidylinositol quantitatively included up to 15 mol% of CA4-Ole, or 7 mol% of ArC-Ole. To achieve targeting to neovascular endothelium prodrug bearing liposomes decorated with the tetrasaccharide selectin ligand Sialyl Lewis X (SiaLeX) have been also prepared. The antitumor activity was studied in vivo using the model of slow-growing mouse breast cancer. Under the dose used (22 mg/kg) and the administration protocol (four injections, one per a week, starting from the appearance of palpable tumors) cytostatic CA-4 did not reveal any anticancer effect; moreover, it even stimulated tumor growth. The liposome formulations of CA4-Ole did not demonstrate such stimulation. However, to achieve a pronounced antitumor effect, the number of injections of liposomes should be apparently increased. The cytotoxic activity of a novel antimitotic agent ArC was one order of magnitude lower in the human breast carcinoma cell culture in vitro. Nevertheless, in vivo in the mouse model of breast cancer the antitumor effect of this compound corresponded to the double equivalent dose of CA-4. The results demonstrate perspectives of SiaLe^X-liposomes loaded with ArC-Ole: the preparation partially inhibited tumor growth already after the second injection. Thus, subsequent optimization of doses and regimens of administration both for ArC and liposomal ArC-Ole formulations are needed.

2. Moiseeva E.V., Semushina S.G., Chaadaeva A.V., Sadovnikova E.S., Kessler Iu.V. (2010). [Criteria for the effectiveness of interleukin-2 immunotherapy in a spontaneous murine mammary tumor model]. Vopr Onkol 56 (4), 443–9 [+]

   A novel approach is suggested to identify more homogenous subgroups involved in the follow-up of growth of spontaneous mammary tumors in mice (116, history-based analysis). That depends on subclinical period (preneoplastic and non-invasive stages of tumor growth) as well as rate of growth after clinical manifestation. An analysis of tumor growth rate versus survival of experimental and control animals after primary diagnosis and clinical manifestation of tumor showed that following a single peritumoral 2.5 x 10(6) IU IL-2 treatment tumor growth slowed down (n = 29; p < or = 0.05) while survival tended to improve. Originally fast-growing tumors without significant subclinical stage continued to grow but slowly. Females with such tumors survived longer than untreated controls without showing, however, any improvement on that parameter.

3. Boldyrev I.A., Gaenko G.P., Moiseeva E.V., Deligeorgiev T., Kaloianova S., Lesev N., Vasilev A., Molotkovskiĭ Iu.G. (2009). [1,10-phenantroline europium complexes: their inclusion in liposomes and cytotoxicity]. Bioorg. Khim. 37 (3), 408–13 [+]

   For a series of 1,10-phenantroline tris-beta-diketonate europium complexes (EuC), cytotoxic activity on the HBL-100 human breast carcinoma cells was determined. Liposomal preparation of the most active EuC, V12, was also tested for cytotoxicity. Testing of this preparation in vivo on starting lethal murine model of T cell leukemic lymphoma ASF-LL showed that the inclusion of V12 in liposomes did not increase its antitumour activity in a local mode of administration.

4. Chaadaeva A.V., Tenkeeva I.I., Moiseeva E.V., Svirshchevskaia E.V., Demushkin V.P. (2009). [Antitumor activity of the plant remedy peptide extract PE-PM in a new mouse T-lymphoma/eukemia model]. Biomed Khim 55 (1), 81–8 [+]

   A new mouse ASF-LL model of adult T-lymphoma/leukemia (ATLL) in humans was characterized by cytological, histopathological, and flow cytometry analyses. Encouraging similarities of morphological, pathological, and clinical signs were found. These included characteristic flower appearance of leukemic cells, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly, multiple growths in the skin, urogenital tissues, lungs and pituitary gland, CD4+CD25+ phenotype of the majority of tumor cells that were selectin-L positive, a rapid clinical course, and poor response to standard chemotherapy. Plant peptides obtained from the traditional Russian herbal medicine have gradually gained considerable attention as a new source of anticancer drugs. We have tested antitumor activity of a peptide extract PE-PM obtained from a mixture of Chelidonium majus L., Inula helenium L., Equisetum arvense L. and Inonotus obliquus in new mouse T-lymphoma/leukemia model ASF-LL. Distinct antitumor activity of two local injections of the peptide extract PE-PM was detected by tumor growth inhibition and survival improvement of 33% of recipients bearing intraperitoneal form of ASF-LL.

5. DenOtter W., Jacobs J.J., Battermann J.J., Hordijk G.J., Krastev Z., Moiseeva E.V., Stewart R.J., Ziekman P.G., Koten J.W. (2008). Local therapy of cancer with free IL-2. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 57 (7), 931–50 [+]

   This is a position paper about the therapeutic effects of locally applied free IL-2 in the treatment of cancer. Local therapy: IL-2 therapy of cancer was originally introduced as a systemic therapy. This therapy led to about 20% objective responses. Systemic therapy however was very toxic due to the vascular leakage syndrome. Nevertheless, this treatment was a break-through in cancer immunotherapy and stimulated some interesting questions: Supposing that the mechanism of IL-2 treatment is both proliferation and tumoricidal activity of the tumor infiltrating cells, then locally applied IL-2 should result in a much higher local IL-2 concentration than systemic IL-2 application. Consequently a greater beneficial effect could be expected after local IL-2 application (peritumoral = juxtatumoral, intratumoral, intra-arterial, intracavitary, or intratracheal = inhalation). Free IL-2: Many groups have tried to prepare a more effective IL-2 formulation than free IL-2. Examples are slow release systems, insertion of the IL-2 gene into a tumor cell causing prolonged IL-2 release. However, logistically free IL-2 is much easier to apply; hence we concentrated in this review and in most of our experiments on the use of free IL-2. Local therapy with free IL-2 may be effective against transplanted tumors in experimental animals, and against various spontaneous carcinomas, sarcomas, and melanoma in veterinary and human cancer patients. It may induce rejection of very large, metastasized tumor loads, for instance advanced clinical tumors. The effects of even a single IL-2 application may be impressive. Not each tumor or tumor type is sensitive to local IL-2 application. For instance transplanted EL4 lymphoma or TLX9 lymphoma were not sensitive in our hands. Also the extent of sensitivity differs: In Bovine Ocular Squamous Cell Carcinoma (BOSCC) often a complete regression is obtained, whereas with the Bovine Vulval Papilloma and Carcinoma Complex (BVPCC) mainly stable disease is attained. Analysis of the results of local IL-2 therapy in 288 cases of cancer in human patients shows that there were 27% Complete Regressions (CR), 23% Partial Regressions (PR), 18% Stable Disease (SD), and 32% Progressive Disease (PD). In all tumors analyzed, local IL-2 therapy was more effective than systemic IL-2 treatment. Intratumoral IL-2 applications are more effective than peritumoral application or application at a distant site. Tumor regression induced by intratumoral IL-2 application may be a fast process (requiring about a week) in the case of a highly vascular tumor since IL-2 induces vascular leakage/edema and consequently massive tumor necrosis. The latter then stimulates an immune response. In less vascular tumors or less vascular tumor sites, regression may require 9-20 months; this regression is mainly caused by a cytotoxic leukocyte reaction. Hence the disadvantageous vascular leakage syndrome complicating systemic treatment is however advantageous in local treatment, since local edema may initiate tumor necrosis. Thus the therapeutic effect of local IL-2 treatment is not primarily based on tumor immunity, but tumor immunity seems to be useful as a secondary component of the IL-2 induced local processes. If local IL-2 is combined with surgery, radiotherapy or local chemotherapy the therapeutic effect is usually greater than with either therapy alone. Hence local free IL-2 application can be recommended as an addition to standard treatment protocols. Local treatment with free IL-2 is straightforward and can readily be applied even during surgical interventions. Local IL-2 treatment is usually without serious side effects and besides minor complaints it is generally well supported. Only small quantities of IL-2 are required. Hence the therapy is relatively cheap. A single IL-2 application of 4.5 million U IL-2 costs about 70 Euros. Thus combined local treatment may offer an alternative in those circumstances when more expensive forms of treatment are not available, for instance in resource poor countries.

6. Tepkeeva I.I., Moiseeva E.V., Chaadaeva A.V., Zhavoronkova E.V., Kessler Y.V., Semushina S.G., Demushkin V.P. (2008). Evaluation of antitumor activity of peptide extracts from medicinal plants on the model of transplanted breast cancer in CBRB-Rb(8.17)1Iem mice. Bull. Exp. Biol. Med. 145 (4), 464–6 [+]

   We studied antitumor effects of peptide extracts from plants on slowly growing mammary adenocarcinoma in CBRB-Rb(8.17)1Iem mice used as a model of breast cancer in humans. The antitumor effect of a single injection of the test peptides was evaluated by the delay of the appearance and growth of palpable breast cancer in mice over 4 weeks. Peptides from Hypericum perforatum and a mixture of Chelidonium majus L., Inula helenium L., Equisetum arvense L., and Inonotus obliquus exhibited maximum activity. Peptide extracts from Frangula alnuc Mill. and Laurus nobilis L. were less active. No antitumor effect of Camelia sinesis Kuntze was detected.

7. Gambaryan A.S., Boravleva E.Y., Matrosovich T.Y., Matrosovich M.N., Klenk H.D., Moiseeva E.V., Tuzikov A.B., Chinarev A.A., Pazynina G.V., Bovin N.V. (2005). Polymer-bound 6' sialyl-N-acetyllactosamine protects mice infected by influenza virus. Antiviral Res. 68 (3), 116–23 [+]

   To develop a mouse model for testing receptor attachment inhibitors of human influenza viruses, the human clinical virus isolate in MDCK cells A/NIB/23/89M (H1N1) was adapted to mice by serial passaging through mouse lungs. The adaptation enhanced the viral pathogenicity for mice, but preserved the virus receptor binding phenotype, preferential binding to 2-6-linked sialic acid receptors and low affinity for 2-3-linked receptors. Sequencing of the HA gene of the mouse-adapted virus A/NIB/23/89-MA revealed a loss of the glycosylation sites in positions 94 and 163 of HA1 and substitutions 275Asp-->Gly in HA1 and 145Asn-->Asp in HA2. The four mouse strains tested differed significantly in their sensitivity to A/NIB/23/89-MA with the sensitivity increasing in the order of BALB/cJCitMoise, C57BL/6LacSto, CBA/CaLacSto and A/SnJCitMoise strains. Testing of protective efficacy of the polyacrylamide conjugate bearing Neu5Acalpha2-6Galbeta1-4GlcNAc trisaccharide under conditions of lethal or sublethal virus infection demonstrated a strong protective effect of this preparation. In particular, aerosol treatment of mice with the polymeric attachment inhibitor on 24-110 h after infection completely prevented mortality in sensitive animals and lessened disease symptoms in more resistant mouse strains.

8. Blishchenko E.Y., Sazonova O.V., Kalinina O.A., Moiseeva E.V., Vass A.A., Karelin A.A., Ivanov V.T. (2005). Antitumor effect of valorphin in vitro and in vivo: combined action with cytostatic drugs. Cancer Biol. Ther. 4 (1), 118–24 [+]

   The action of the cytostatic drugs (epirubicin and vincristine) in combination with the endogenous antiproliferative beta-hemoglobin fragment (33-39), valorphin, was studied in tumor (L929 and A549) cell cultures, primary culture of murine bone marrow cells and in murine model of breast carcinoma in vivo. Simultaneous application of 1 microM valorphin and 1 microM epirubicin, in vitro, did not result in an additive suppressive effect on cell culture growth. Additive effects were achieved with alternating applications of the peptide and the drugs, namely, 0.5 microM (but not 1 microM) epirubicin added 24 h prior to 1 microM valorphin; 1 microM valorphin added 48 h prior to 0.1 microM epirubicin, or 0.1 microM vincristine, or 0.05 microM vincristine, which resulted in 100% cell death in the both series with vincristine and up to 78% cell biomass reduction in the experiments with epirubicin. In the in vivo model (female BLRB mice with subcutaneously inoculated syngeneic mammary carcinoma), simultaneous treatment with 25 mg/m(2) epirubicin and 1 mg/kg valorphin resulted in 42% of tumor growth inhibition, as compared with the negative control group and 22% inhibition as compared with the epirubcin-treated group (at 20th day of treatment). Survival was significantly improved (69% compared to 39% in the group treated with epirubicin only) at day 26 after the treatment beginning.

9. Vodovozova E.L., Moiseeva E.V., Grechko G.K., Gayenko G.P., Nifant'ev N.E., Bovin N.V., Molotkovsky J.G. (2000). Antitumour activity of cytotoxic liposomes equipped with selectin ligand SiaLe(X), in a mouse mammary adenocarcinoma model. Eur. J. Cancer 36 (7), 942–9 [+]

   The overexpression of lectins by malignant cells compared with normal ones can be used for the targeting of drug-loaded liposomes to tumours with the help of specific carbohydrate ligands (vectors). Recently we have shown that liposomes bearing specific lipid-anchored glycoconjugates on a polymeric matrix bind in vitro to human malignant cells more effectively and, being loaded with a lipophilic prodrug of merphalan, reveal higher cytotoxic activity compared with unvectored liposomes. In this study, carbohydrate-equipped cytotoxic liposomes were tested in vivo in a mouse breast cancer model, BLRB-Rb (8.17)1Iem strain with a high incidence of spontaneous mammary adenocarcinoma (SMA). Firstly, a cell line of the SMA was established which was then used to determine the specificity of the tumour cell lectins. After screening of the lectin specificity of a number of fluorescent carbohydrate probes, SiaLe(X) was shown to be the ligand with the most affinity, and a lipophilic vector bearing this saccharide was synthesised. Then different liposomal formulations of the synthetic merphalan lipid derivative and SiaLe(X) vector were prepared and applied in the treatment of mice with grafted adenocarcinomas. The results of the tumorigenesis data show that the therapeutic efficacy of merphalan increases sharply after its insertion as a lipophilic prodrug into the membrane of SiaLe(X)-vectored liposomes.