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Characterization of a cancer cachectic factor

Nature volume 379, pages 739–742 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

CANCER cachexia is a syndrome of progressive wasting which has been suggested to be mediated by tumour-necrosis factor-α (ref. 1), interleukins 1 and 6 (ref. 2), interferon-γ (ref. 3) and leukaemia-inhibitory factor4. It has proved difficult to correlate levels of tumour-necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 with cancer cachexia5,6, and the weight loss induced by leukaemia-inhibitory factor may be due to toxicity7. In the murine adenocarcinoma MAC 16, cachexia is mediated by circulatory catabolic factors8,9, which we have now isolated using an antibody cloned from splenocytes of mice transplanted with the MAC16 tumour, with a delayed cachexia10. The material is a proteoglycan of relative molecular mass 24K which produces cachexia in vivo by inducing catabolism of skeletal muscle. The 24K material was also present in urine of cachectic cancer patients, but was absent from normal subjects, patients with weight loss due to trauma, and cancer patients with little or no weight loss. This suggests that cachexia in mice and humans may be produced by the same material.

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Author notes

  1. Brian Coles: CRC Molecular Toxicology Group, Department of Biochemistry, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, Windeyer Building, Cleveland Street, London W1P 6D8, UK

  2. Kenneth Fearon: Department of Surgery, University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9YW, UK

  3. Michael Tisdale: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRC Nutritional Biochemistry Research Group, Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK

    Penio Todorov, Peter Cariuk, Trudi McDevitt, Brian Coles, Kenneth Fearon & Michael Tisdale

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  1. Penio Todorov
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  2. Peter Cariuk
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  3. Trudi McDevitt
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  6. Michael Tisdale
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Todorov, P., Cariuk, P., McDevitt, T. et al. Characterization of a cancer cachectic factor. Nature 379, 739–742 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/379739a0

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