A new in vivo model for analysis of colon carcinoma micrometastasis in BALB/c mice

Background and aims: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is known as the fourth leading cause of death across the world. The fate of patients dependson the metastatic spread of cancer cells. Micrometastases are small clusters of cancer cells with no diagnostic evidence during diagnosisand surgery. Therefore, experimental models for micrometastasis are necessary to investigate tumors. We developed a mouse model toevaluate micrometastasis of colon carcinoma cells by systemic injection of tumor cells.Methods: In this study, stably transfected CT۲۶ cells expressing Leishmania major GP۶۳ were intravenously (IV) injected into BALB/c micefor induction of micrometastases. The mice were divided into three groups and the groups were sacrificed on days ۳, ۷, and ۱۴ of theinjection. reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed on tissue samples to detect Gp۶۳ gene.Results: Our results showed the successful construction and transfection of pcDNA۳ L. major Gp۶۳ into CT۲۶ cells. After IV injection, totalcellular RNA was extracted and the Gp۶۳ gene was detected in the liver, lung, and kidney but not in the colon.Conclusion: Due to the significance of micrometastasis and the need to establish simple models for cancer research, an experimentalmouse model was developed. CT۲۶ tumor cells stably expressing Gp۶۳ generated a potent system for diagnosis of micrometastatic cellsin tissues. Injection into the tail vein is a practical model for cancer research because of the lower fatality rate and no need for anesthesia.

کلیدواژه ها:

Colon carcinoma ، (Micro) Metastasis ، Mouse model ، BALB/c