1: Inhibitory effect of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor on DMBA-induced hamster cheek pouch carcinogenesis and its
derived carcinoma cell line.
Summary: A study on GcMAF in hamsters infected with squamous cell cancer. All 15 hamsters in the control group died within 20 weeks.
The other group were infected and administered GcMAF, although the doses, source and intervals are not stated. 2 of the 14 hamsters in this group did
not develop any tumours. The other 12 showed a significant delay in developing tumours and none died within the 20 weeks that they were observed.
GcMAF was administered to the 5 hamsters in the control group at week 13, and tumour growth was slightly suppressed, with all dying from tumour
burden.
However, the mean survival time was significantly extended. (A further study also shows GcMAF as ineffective on skin cancer, although when combined
with photodynamic light therapy, curative rates are 100%.)
Ref: Toyohara Y, Ha#ani S, Kishimoto H, Noguchi K, Yamamoto N, Urade M. Inhibitory effect of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating
factor on DMBA-induced hamster cheek pouch carcinogenesis and its derived carcinoma cell line. Oncol Lett. 2011 Jul;2(4):685-691. Epub 2011 May 13.
PubMed PMID: 22848250; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3406437.
2: Vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage-activating factor, GcMAF, and prostate cancer.
Summary: GcMAF was lost or reduced in prostate cancer patients due to high levels of nagalase.
Macrophages activated by GcMAF develop a considerable variation of receptors that recognize malignant cell surfaces. 16 nonanemic prostate cancer
patients received weekly administration of 100 nanograms of GcMAF, during which time their nagalase levels reduced.
After 14 to 25 weeks all 16 patients had low nagalase levels equivalent to those of healthy people, indicating the patients were cancer free.
No recurrence occurred for 7 years.
Bear in mind that these patients had already undergone normal treatment options, but still had evidence of disease in the form of high nagalase
levels. No visible tumours were apparent.
Ref: Bellone M, Rigamonti N. Vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage-activating factor, GcMAF, and prostate cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother.
2012 Dec;61(12):2377-8. doi: 10.1007/s00262-012-1310-9. Epub 2012 Jun 28. PubMed PMID: 22740161.
3: Effects of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage-activating factor on human breast cancer cells.
Summary: An in-vitro study on the effects of GcMAF on human breast cancer cells. It proved that it inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation,
migration and metastatic potential.
Ref: Pacini S, Punzi T, Morucci G, Gulisano M, Ruggiero M. Effects of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage-activating factor on human breast
cancer cells. Anticancer Res. 2012 Jan;32(1):45-52. PubMed PMID: 22213287.
4: Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) stimulates cAMP formation in human mononuclear cells and inhibits angiogenesis in chick
embryo chorionallantoic membrane assay.
Summary: The effects of GcMAF have been studied in cancer and other conditions where blood supply conditions are deregulated. This study demonstrates
that the division of human blood mononuclear cells (immune system cells) when treated with GcMAF was associated with the formation of chemical
messenger pathways.
The effect was dose dependant, but maximum stimulation was achieved at 0.1ng/ml. Heparin (commonly used as an anitcoagulent) inhibited the formation
of these chemical messenger pathways.
In addition, GcMAF at that dose inhibited the formation of prostate and breast cancer cell blood pathways in laboratory tests. They tested different
GcMAF preparations in this type of test (CAM test) and this test proved to be a reliable, reproducible and inexpensive method of determining the
potencies of different preparations and their stability. Storage at room temperature for 15 days decreased GcMAF potency by about 50%
Ref: Pacini S, Morucci G, Punzi T, Gulisano M, Ruggiero M. Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) stimulates cAMP formation in human
mononuclear cells and inhibits angiogenesis in chick embryo chorionallantoic membrane assay. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2011 Apr;60(4):479-85. doi:
10.1007/s00262-010-0953-7. Epub 2010 Dec 14. PubMed PMID: 21170647.
5: Vitamin D binding protein-macrophage activating factor directly inhibits proliferation, migration, and uPAR expression of prostate cancer cells.
Summary: GcMAF shows a direct and potent effect on prostate tumour cells in the absence of macrophages.
It demonstrates a reduction in proliferation as well as metastic clones of these cells. Studies show that this is not due to the death of the cancer
cells, but due to the reduction of multiplication.
GcMAF also prevents the migration of prostate cancer cells in the lab. It stopped the prostate cancer cells from producing a receptor, and evidence
shows that this receptor correlates with metastasis. It concludes that GcMAF has strong inhibitory activity even in the absence of macrophages.
Ref: Gregory KJ, Zhao B, Bielenberg DR, Dridi S, Wu J, Jiang W, Huang B, Pirie-Shepherd S, Fannon M. Vitamin D binding protein-macrophage activating
factor directly inhibits proliferation, migration, and uPAR expression of prostate cancer cells. PLoS One. 2010 Oct 18;5(10):e13428. doi:
6: Glycosylation status of vitamin D binding protein in cancer patients
Summary: Based on earlier studies, it appears that vitamin D binding protein (DBP) is significantly or completely deglycosylated in cancer patients,
thus destroying the molecular precursor of the immunologically important GcMAF. This investigation was to directly investigate the volume of the three
sugar molecules of serum derived DBP in various cancers. This study showed that there was no significant depletion of the trisaccharide in the 56
patients relative to healthy controls. This suggests that the hypotheses regarding the structural or molecular origins of GcMAF being a trisaccharide
should be reconsidered.
Ref: Rehder DS, Nelson RW, Borges CR. Glycosylation status of vitamin D binding protein in cancer patients. Protein Sci. 2009 Oct;18(10):2036-42.
doi:10.1002/pro.214. PubMed PMID: 19642159; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2786967.
7: Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer with Gc Protein-Derived Macrophage-Activating Factor, GcMAF.
Summary: Prostate cancer patients cannot produce their own GcMAF. 16 nonanemic prostate cancer patients received weekly injections of 100ng of GcMAF.
After a 16-24 weeks all 16 patients had a normal nagalase reading equivalent to that of healthy controls, indicating the patients were tumour free. No
recurrence in 7 years.
Ref: Yamamoto N, Suyama H, Yamamoto N. Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer with GcProtein-Derived Macrophage-Activating Factor, GcMAF. Transl Oncol.
2008 Jul;1(2):65-72. PubMed PMID: 18633461; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2510818.
8: Immunotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer with vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage-activating factor
Summary: 100 ng GcMAF was administered weekly to eight non-anemic colorectal cancer patients who previously had tumor resection but still carried
significant amounts of metastatic tumour cells. After 32-50 weeks all colorectal patients exhibited healthy controls of nagalase indicating
eradication of tumour cells with no recurrence in 7 years.
Ref: Yamamoto N, Suyama H, Nakazato H, Yamamoto N, Koga Y. Immunotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer with vitamin D-binding protein-derived
macrophage-activating factor, GcMAF. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2008 Jul;57(7):1007-16. PubMed PMID: 18058096.
9: Immunotherapy of metastatic breast cancer patients with vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor
Summary: 100 ng of GcMAF was administered weekly to 16 non anemic patients for treatment of metastatic breast cancer. After 16-22 administrations of
GcMAF, the patients had healthy nagalase levels equivalent to healthy controls, with no recurrence for more than 4 years.
Ref: Yamamoto N, Suyama H, Yamamoto N, Ushijima N. Immunotherapy of metastatic breast cancer patients with vitamin D-binding protein-derived
macrophage activating factor (GcMAF). Int J Cancer. 2008 Jan 15;122(2):461-7. PubMed PMID:17935130.
10: Pancreatic carcinogenesis: apoptosis and angiogenesis
Summary: Cell death and the creation of blood supplies to the cells (angiogenesis) are processes that are changed with cancers. Several reports show
that a tumor suppressor gene that is in pancreatic cancer and related to malignancy can induce cell death and reduce the blood supply. This study has
discovered two new angiogenesis inhibitors - one of them being GcMAF, the other aaAT-III. These molecules were able to regress tumours in
immunodeficient mice, and show potent inhibition of circulatory cell proliferation. The angiogenesis inhibitors induced tumour dormancy in the animal
model.
Ref: Onizuka S, Kawakami S, Taniguchi K, Fujioka H, Miya#a K. Pancreatic carcinogenesis: apoptosis and angiogenesis. Pancreas. 2004 Apr;28(3):317-9.
PubMed PMID: 15084979.
11: Effect of salivary gland adenocarcinoma cell-derived alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase on the bioactivity of macrophage activating factor
Summary: To study the effects of nagalase on the bioactivity of GcMAF. A cancer cell line with high levels of nagalase, produced by the human salivary
gland (HSG), was studied. GcMAF prepared enzymatically was able to activate macrophages. However, GcMAF treated with nagalase did not do this. Thus,
salivary gland cancer in this study was able to produce large quantities of nagalase, which inactivates GcMAF produced from GcProtein, resulting in
reduced phagocytic activity. This study suggests that HSG nagalase acts as an immunodeficiency factor in cancer patients.
Ref: Matsuura T, Uematsu T, Yamaoka M, Furusawa K. Effect of salivary gland adenocarcinoma cell-derived alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase on the
bioactivity of macrophage activating factor. Int J Oncol. 2004 Mar;24(3):521-8. PubMed PMID:14767536.
12: Vitamin D binding protein-macrophage activating factor (DBP-maf) inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in mice.
Summary: Daily administration of GcMAF is able to slow down solid tumour growth (4ng/kg/4 days). At higher doses, GcMAF causes tumour regression
(4ng/kg/day). The injections were into the body cavity (similar to IV in humans). The data suggests that GcMAF prevents the growth of blood supplies
to tumours, and stimulates the macrophages to attack both the outside and the tumour cell compartment of a cancer.
Ref: Kisker O, Onizuka S, Becker CM, Fannon M, Flynn E, D'Amato R, Zetter B,Folkman J, Ray R, Swamy N, Pirie-Shepherd S. Vitamin D binding
protein-macrophage activating factor (DBP-maf) inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in mice. Neoplasia. 2003 Jan-Feb;5(1):32-40. PubMed PMID:
12659668; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1502120.
13: Effects of vitamin D(3)-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor (GcMAF) on angiogenesis
Summary: As with other results, GcMAF inhibits cancer cell proliferation, independent of tissue origin, so it is not cancer specific. The ability of
GcMAF to prevent blood supply creation to cancers may be regulated by the CD36 receptor.
Ref: Kanda S, Mochizuki Y, Miyata Y, Kanetake H, Yamamoto N. Effects of vitamin D(3)-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor (GcMAF) on
angiogenesis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2002 Sep 4;94(17):1311-9. PubMed PMID:12208896.
14: Antitumor effect of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor on Ehrlich ascites tumor-bearing mice
Summary: Administration of GcMAF to cancer bearing mice, to ascertain doses and intervals, using survival time and nagalase levels to record the
effects.
The control group survived around 13 days.
a) Administration of 100pg (picogram)/mouse was given to 8 mice at the same time as tumour transplantation, 7 survived around 21 days, 1 more than
60.
b) Administrations of GcMAF, at day 0 and at day 4 after transplantation, 6 survived about 31 days, 2 more than 60 days.
c) Administrations of GcMAF in 4 day intervals after transplantation, 6 of the eight survived more than 60 days, with a nagalase level as low as
healthy control group during the survival period. No mention of the survival time of the other 2 mice.
Conclusion is that the administration of small amounts of GcMAF caused protracted macrophage activation.
Ref: Koga Y, Naraparaju VR, Yamamoto N. Antitumor effect of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor on Ehrlich ascites
tumor-bearing mice. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1999 Jan;220(1):20-6. PubMed PMID: 9893164.
15: Immunotherapy of BALB/c mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumor with vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor
Summary: Administration of GcMAF and cdMAF to cancer bearing mice, to ascertain doses and intervals, using survival time and nagalase levels to record
the effects. The readings of nagalase increased as the tumours grew.
The control group survived around 16 days.
a) Administration of GcMAF 100pg/mouse gave a survival time of 35 days.
b) Administrations of GcMAF, at day 0 and at day 4 after transplantation, survival increased to more than 50 days.
c) Mice that received GcMAF at days 4 and 8 after transplantation survived up to 32 days.
d) Administrations of GcMAF or cdMAF in 4 day intervals after transplantation, showed an extended survival of 90 days, with a nagalase level as low as
healthy control group during the survival period.
This seems to be a poorly reported study, as it gives no indication of the performances of the different MAFs in relation to each other.
Ref: Yamamoto N, Naraparaju VR. Immunotherapy of BALB/c mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumor with vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage
activatingfactor. Cancer Res. 1997 Jun 1;57(11):2187-92. PubMed PMID: 9187119.
16: Prognostic utility of serum alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase and immunosuppression resulted from deglycosylation of serum Gc protein in oral cancer
patients
Summary: 46 oral cancer patients were tested for Gcprotein. 22% had greatly reduced gcprotein, 61% was moderately reduced, 17% were equivalent to
healthy controls. Patients with low gcprotein had high nagalase. Those with high Gcprotein had low nagalase. Thus there is an inverse relationship.
Surgical removal of tumours results in a subtle decrease in nagalase. Tests in mice show that nagalase is directly proportional to tumour burden.
Hence it could be used as a diagnostic
Ref: Yamamoto N, Naraparaju VR, Urade M. Prognostic utility of serum alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase and immunosuppression resulted from
deglycosylation of serum Gc protein in oral cancer patients. Cancer Res. 1997 Jan
15;57(2):295-9. PubMed PMID: 9000571.
17: Macrophage-directed immunotherapy as adjuvant to photodynamic therapy of cancer
Summary: DBPMAF was made using mice serum (as opposed to GcMAF from human serum, as can mice make antibodies to human GcMAF). This alone was
ineffective against skin cancer. Used with a PDT treatment, which was curative to 25% of the tumours, when DBPMAF was used alongside PDT, the cure
rate increased to 100%.
Ref: Korbelik M, Naraparaju VR, Yamamoto N. Macrophage-directed immunotherapy as adjuvant to photodynamic therapy of cancer. Br J Cancer.
1997;75(2):202-7. PubMed PMID: 9010027; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2063270.
18: Deglycosylation of serum vitamin D3-binding protein leads to immunosuppression in cancer patients
Summary: Blood monocytes / macrophages of 52 cancer patients were incubated with 100pg/ml of GcMAF. The monocytes / macrophages were efficiently
activated. Naturally occurring GcMAF was severely reduced in about 25% of the patients, and moderately reduced in 45%. This was found to be the result
of higher than normal levels of nagalase. The source of the nagalase appeared to be the cancerous cells as radiation therapy to reduce the cancer also
reduced the level of nagalase. Thus both the levels of GcMAF and the levels of nagalase in the blood can serve as diagnostic indices.
Ref: Yamamoto N, Naraparaju VR, Asbell SO. Deglycosylation of serum vitamin D3-binding protein leads to immunosuppression in cancer patients. Cancer
Res.1996 Jun 15;56(12):2827-31. PubMed PMID: 8665521.
19: Tumor cell alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase activity and its involvement in GcMAF-related macrophage activation
Summary: Nagalase causes the suppression of GcMAF. This is a study of the types of nagalase from several tumor cell lines. It concludes that nagalase
derived from tumours is different to that from normal Chang liver cells (a type of laboratory cell line). Tumour derived nagalase decreases the
potency of GcMAF activation.
Ref: Tumor cell alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase activity and its involvement in GcMAF-related macrophage activation. Mohamad SB, Nagasawa H, Uto Y,
Hori H.
20: Vitamin D binding protein-macrophage activating factor inhibits HCC in SCID mice
Summary: GcMAF works on liver cancer in two ways – by reducing the blood supply to the tumour and by activating tumour killing macrophages.
Ref: Nonaka K, Onizuka S, Ishibashi H, Uto Y, Hori H, Nakayama T, Matsuura N,Kanematsu T, Fujioka H. Vitamin D binding protein-macrophage activating
factor inhibits HCC in SCID mice. J Surg Res. 2012 Jan;172(1):116-22. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2010.07.057. Epub 2010 Sep 17. PubMed PMID: 20855083.