Inhibition of Monoacylglycerol Lipase Decreases Angiogenic Features of Endothelial Cells via Release of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 from Lung Cancer Cells

Despite the well-described anticarcinogenic effects of endocannabinoids, the influence of the endocannabinoid system on tumor angiogenesis is still debated. In the present study, conditioned medium (CM) from A549 and H358 lung cancer cells treated with ascending concentrations of the monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor JZL184 and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), a prominent MAGL substrate, caused a concentration-dependent reduction in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration and tube formation compared with CM from vehicle-treated cancer cells. Comparative experiments with MAGL inhibitors JW651 and MJN110 showed the same results. On the other hand, the angiogenic properties of HUVECs were not significantly altered by direct stimulation with JZL184 or 2-AG or by exposure to CM of JZL184- or 2-AG-treated non-cancerous bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Inhibition of HUVEC migration and tube formation by CM of JZL184- and 2-AG-treated A549 cells was abolished in the presence of the CB(1) antagonist AM-251. Increased release of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) from JZL184- or 2-AG-stimulated A549 or H358 cells was shown to exert an antiangiogenic effect on HUVECs, as confirmed by siRNA experiments. In addition, JZL184 caused a dose-dependent regression of A549 tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice, which was associated with a decreased number of CD31-positive cells and upregulation of TIMP-1-positive cells in xenograft tissue. In conclusion, our data suggest that elevation of 2-AG by MAGL inhibition leads to increased release of TIMP-1 from lung cancer cells, which mediates an antiangiogenic effect on endothelial cells.