Safety assessment of ovarian cryopreservation and transplantation in nude mice bearing human epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Nude mice with orthotopic transplantation of human ovarian epithelial cancer were used to investigate screening criteria for paraneoplastic normal ovarian tissue and the security of the freezing and thawing for ovarian tissue transplantation. METHODS: Expression of CK-7, CA125, P53, survivin, MMP-2/TIMP- 2 in paraneoplastic normal ovarian tissues were detected by RT-PCR as well as immunohistochemistry. The tissues of the groups with all negative indicators of RT-PCR, all negative indicators of immunohistochemistry, negative expression of CK-7, CA125 and survivin, positive expression of CK-7, CA125 and survivin, cancer tissues and normal ovarian tissues of nude mice were used for freezing and thawing transplantation, to analyze overt and occult carcinogenesis rates after transplantation. RESULTS: When all indicators or the main indicators, CK-7, CA125 and survivin, were negative, tumorigenesis did not occur after transplantation. In addition the occult carcinogenesis rate was lower than in the group with positive expression of CK-7, CA125 and survivin (P<0.01). After subcutaneous and orthotopic transplantation of ovarian tissues, rates did not change (P>0.05). There was no statistical significance among rates after transplantation of ovarian tissues which were obtained under different severity conditions (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Negative expression of CK-7, CA125 and survivin can be treated as screening criteria for security of ovarian tissues for transplantation. Immunohistochemical methods can be used as the primary detection approach. Both subcutaneous and orthotopic transplantation are safe. The initial severity does not affect the carcinogenesis rate after tissue transplantation. Freezing and thawing ovarian tissue transplantation in nude mice with human epithelial ovarian carcinoma is feasible and safe.

Expression and correlation of Lewis y antigen and TGF-ß1 in ovarian epithelial carcinoma.

Lewis y is a difucosylated oligosaccharide carried by glycoconjugates on the cell surface. Elevation of Lewis y is frequently observed in epithelial-derived cancers. This study aimed to detect the expression and clinical significance of the Lewis y antigen and TGF-ß1 (transforming growth factor ß1) in ovarian epithelial tumors, and to evaluate the correlation between them. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of Lewis y antigen and TGF-ß1 in 60 cases of ovarian epithelial malignant tumors, 20 cases of borderline ovary tumors, 20 cases of benign ovary tumors and 10 cases of normal ovarian tissues. An immunofluorescence double labeling method was also used to detect the correlation between Lewis y antigen and TGF-ß1. The positive rates of Lewis y antigen in ovarian epithelial cancer tissues was 88.33%, significantly higher compared to those of borderline ovarian tumors (60.00%) (P<0.05), benign ovarian tumors (35.00%) (P<0.01) and normal ovarian tissues (0%) (P<0.01). Its expression was not associated with clinical parameters; the positive rates of TGF-ß1 in ovarian epithelial cancers were 78.33%, significantly higher compared to those of benign ovarian tumors (65.00%) (P<0.05) and normal ovarian tissues (40.00%) (P<0.05); the positive rates of the TGF-ß1 and Lewis y were not associated with metastasis of lymph nodes and histological types, differentiation degree and clinical stage (P>0.05). Expression of Lewis y antigen and TGF-ß1 was significantly positively associated with epithelial carcinoma. Close correlation between Lewis y, TGF-ß1 and ovarian cancer was observed. Altered expression of Lewis y antigen may cause changes in TGF-ß1 expression. Lewis y can increase the growth of ovarian cancer cells and the invasion ability by promoting TGF-ß1 abnormal expression and by promoting angiogenesis and a change in its signal transduction pathway. This study provides theoretical evidence for the development of ovarian cancer biological treatments.