Human blood vessels mostly comprise vascular smooth muscle, which normally contributes to flexibility. “Angiogenesis,” i.e., the formation of new blood vessels, occurs when the disappearance of this function leads to a state of “dedifferentiation.” Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in wound repair, but it also has adverse effects on the human body. It facilitates the supply of nutrients to cancer cells, thereby promoting their growth; it can also cause macular degeneration and arteriosclerosis.

Associate Professor Takaya and his team demonstrated that DNA molecules known as “myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotides” inhibit undesirable angiogenesis.
Myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotides were administered to vascular smooth muscle cells and compared with those that did not receive these molecules. Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells was not observed in the cells that received myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotides. The findings of the present study indicate that myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotides bind to the protein nucleolin, which promotes angiogenesis, thereby inhibiting its function and promoting differentiation.
Myogenetic oligonucleotides were administered to the aortas of mice in another experiment to examine their effects. This experiment revealed that the administration of myogenetic oligonucleotides inhibited the formation of microvessels sprouting from the aorta.
The findings of these experiments demonstrate that myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotides inhibit angiogenesis.

The angiogenesis-inhibiting effect of myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotides can be used to develop novel pharmaceutical products. This effect can be used to suppress the proliferation of cancer cells or to treat diseases such as macular degeneration and arteriosclerosis.
Given that myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotides are short, single-stranded DNA molecules, they can be synthesized en mass in a cost-effective manner. Thus, they are suitable for treating diseases affecting a large number of patients, such as arteriosclerosis.
Associate Professor Takaya and his team intend to conduct animal testing in the future to verify the angiogenesis-inhibiting effects and safety of myogenic oligo-DNA in living organisms and continue research and development toward practical applications.