Xenotransplantation of human brain tumor into nude mice--morphological changes of the xenograft
Kubo, O.; Kitamura, K.; Wechsler, W.
No Shinkei Geka. Neurological Surgery 11(4): 369-377
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-2603 PMID: 6306498 Document Number: 210166
Xenotransplanation of human carcinoma into nude mice is carried out for various studies, ranging from carcinogenesis to treatment. So far as the human brain tumor is concerned, research by transplantation is not fully sufficient yet. An experiment was begun with the aim of establishing a line of successive generations of transplantation into nude mice, in which human brain tumors have been transplanted. A part of the study, which consists of the morphological changes of the xenograft of brain tumors with the passage of time, is reported. As a control experiment, a piece of cerebral tissue of the normal Wister rat was transplanted s.c. into nude mice and normal mice. A piece of human meningioma tissue was similarly transplanted into the subcutaneous tissue of nude mice and normal mice. The respective mice were sacrificed on the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 9th days, and morphological changes by time course, of the xenografts were investigated. As a result, necrosis of the implanted cerebral tissue of the rat, in the normal and nude mice, was already seen on the 2nd day of transplantation, and on the 9th day, that was completely absorbed. Necrosis was observed in the implanted human meningioma tissue of normal mice on the 9th day, and granulation tissue was also seen in one part. In nude mice, increased capillary vascularization was seen around the xenografts. Tumor tissue from 30 cases of primary brain tumor were transplanted into the bilateral subcutaneous tissue of nude mice. Tumors included 8 astrocytomas, 5 oligodendrogliomas, 11 glioblastoma multiforme, 1 monstrocellular sarcoma, 1 medulloblastoma and 4 meningiomas, giving a total of 30 cases. Tumor take was seen in 8 of 30 cases (27%). The growth stages of these 8 cases were progressive enlargement in 1 case of glioblastoma multiforme, no change in 4 cases of glioblastoma multiforme, and a regressive tendency in 3 cases of meningioma. Histologically, the case showing progressive enlargement maintained the original histological picture and could be passaged. In the cases of regressive tendency, the interstitial reaction of the nude mice was strong, the xenograft was gradually being absorbed, and they presented findings of fibrosis. In this manner, even in the s.c. transplantation of human brain tumor tissue into nude mice, the interstitial reactions, on the host side, were strong.