Deciphering the role of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) in respiratory associated cancer

H&E staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted for the endothelial cell (EC) marker, CD31, on excised tumours. EC pulldown was conducted on LLC tumours and healthy lung controls. Western blot (WB) analysis was carried out on the Tumour EC (TEC) and Lung EC (LEC) for alterations in SLPI with subsequent ELISA and qPCR being conducted for various markers. 1x10⁵ HUVEC cells were treated with VEGF, recombinant SLPI (rSLPI) or TEC supernatants for angiogenic and proliferation analysis.<br><br>Results and Conclusion<br>HUVECs cultured with rSLPI exhibited significantly increased enclosed structure, branching point numbers, and enhanced cell proliferation rate.

Tumours from SLPI^-/- mice showed significantly diminished tumour burden, functional vessel number and vessel leakiness compared to WT mice. This loss in SLPI signifying that SLPI may promote angiogenesis explicitly signifying a role in a tumour angiogenesis. Future work will investigate the impact of combinational therapies on TECs <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> in our murine models.<br><br><i>Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2028</i>.<br><br><br>