AIM: To obtain an efficient delivery system for transportingendostatin gene to mouse liver tumor xenografts byadministration of aerosol.METHODS: Recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.0/endostatincontaining human endostatin gene together with signalpeptide from alkaline phosphatase were transferred intohuman umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) by transfenin(TF)-liposome-endostatin complex. West blot was usedto detect the expression of human endostatin in transfectedHUVEC cells and its medium. After the tumor-bearing micewere administrated with TF-liposome-endostatin complex,the lung tissue was analyzed by immunohistochemicalmethod for expression of endostatin and the tumors weretreated with CD-31 antibody to detect the density ofmicrovesseles in tumor tissues. The inhibition of tumorgrowth was estimated by the weight of tumors from groupstreated with different dos es of TF-liposome-endostatincomplex. DNA fragmentation assay was used to detect theapoptosis of the cells from primary liver tumor.RESULTS: West blot analysis and immunohistochemicalmethod confirmed the expression of endostatin proteininvitro and in vivo. After the tumor sections were treated withCD-31 antibody, the positive reaction cells appeared brownwhile the negative cells were colorless. The positively stainedarea of the TF-liposome-endostatin treated group wassignificantly smaller (P＜0.01, 645.8+55.2 μm2) than that ofthe control group (1325.4+198.5 μm2). The data showed asignificant inhibition of angiogenesis. After administrationof TF-liposome-endostatin, comparing with the control groupadministrated with TF-liposome-pcDNA3.0, liver tumorgrowth in the mice treated with 50, 250 and 500 mg DNA/kg was inhibited by 36.6 %, 40.8 %, and 72.8 %, respectively(P＜0.01). And a typical DNA fragmentation of apoptosis wasfound in the cells from tumor tissues of the mice treatedwith TF-liposome-endostatin but none in the control group.CONCLUSION: Endostatin gene could be efficientlytransported into the mice with TF-liposome-DNA deliverysystem by administration of aerosol. TF-liposome-mediatedendostatin gene therapy strongly inhibited angiogenesis andthe growth of mouse xenograft liver tumors. It also couldpromote the development of apoptosis of tumors withoutdirect influence on tumor cells.