Poster Presentation 38th Lorne Cancer Conference 2026

Angiotensin converting enzyme-2 suppresses cancer growth in mice with a secondary liver cancer (#274)

Muditha N Wijesinghe 1 , Anshuli Razdan 1 , Amr H Allam 2 , Lisa Mielke 2 , Leszek Lisowski 3 , Ian Alexander 3 , Vijayaragaran Muralidharan 4 , Peter W Angus 5 , Chandana Herath 1
  1. Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
  2. Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
  3. Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
  4. Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
  5. Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia

Secondary liver cancer presents a significant challenge due to its high prevalence and lack of effective treatments. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a key enzyme of the protective arm of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), converts angiotensin II, a pro-fibrotic and pro-carcinogenic peptide, into angiotensin (1-7), which has anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic and anti-carcinogenic properties. Our previous work established that hepatic ACE2 overexpression significantly reduce liver fibrosis. We are now extending these studies to examine its potential anti-cancer effects, with the goal of developing therapies capable of inhibiting liver fibrosis and carcinogenesis in advanced liver disease. This pilot study investigated the prophylactic effects of liver-specific ACE2 gene therapy in a secondary liver cancer model. Colon cancer cells (MC-38) were injected intrasplenically to induce secondary liver cancer in C57Bl/6 mice and a single intraperitoneal injection of ACE2 packed into a liver-specific adeno-associated viral (ACE2-AAV) vector was administered. To prevent the development of a splenic cancer burden, the mice were splenectomised 2-minutes post-MC-38 injection. As expected, ACE2 gene and protein expression was significantly (p<0.001) upregulated in cancer and non-cancer liver tissues 3-weeks post-treatment compared to healthy mice or MC-38 cell-transplanted mice receiving a control vector, human serum albumin (HSA-AAV). ACE2 therapy significantly (p<0.01) reduced secondary liver cancer burden in mice compared to control vector injected mice, as reflected by a 33% reduction in relative liver weight. Both gene and protein expression of E-cadherin was downregulated in cancer and non-cancer tissue of the liver. Importantly, ACE2 therapy significantly (p<0.05) increased E-cadherin protein levels in cancer tissues while completely restoring its level in non-cancer tissue to that of healthy liver tissues. Interestingly, CD8+ cytotoxic T cell infiltration into cancer and non-cancer tissues was significantly (p<0.05) increased by ACE2 therapy. These findings suggest that liver-targeted ACE2 therapy suppresses the growth of secondary liver cancer. The mechanisms by which ACE2 promotes cancer inhibition may include upregulation of E-cadherin protein expression and promotion of cytotoxic T cell recruitment. Therefore, we conclude that ACE2 therapy represents a promising approach for the treatment and prevention of secondary liver cancer.