Role of VEGF in establishment of Walker-256 transplanted liver cancer model in SD rats / 中国病理生理杂志

ABSTRACT

AIM:To evaluate the safety and feasibility of using vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the establishment of Walker-256 transplanted liver cancer model .METHODS: SD rats ( n =45) were divided into 3 groupsvia the caudal vein, the rats in normal saline (NS) group were injected with 0.9%sodium chloride (0.1 mL/d), the rats in 20 mg/L VEGF group were injected with 20 mg/L VEGF (0.1 mL/d), and the rats in 40 mg/L VEGF group were injected with 40 mg/L VEGF (0.1 mL/d).All the injection began 1 week before transplantation of liver cancer , and stopped on the day the cancer model was established .Prepared tumor tissue was transplanted into the subcapsular space of the liver.Three days, 1 week and 2 weeks after the transplantation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for analyzing the tumor growth and the characteristics .The overall survival of the rats was also recorded .RESULTS:Success-ful establishment of Walker-256 transplanted liver cancer model was achieved .Among 45 rats, 1 rat died 1 d after implan-ting the tumor both in NS group and 20 mg/L VEGF group, while 3 rats died in 40 mg/L VEGF group 1 week after building the model, mainly because of the progression of tumors .Three days after modeling,the numbers of the rats in which the tumor was positively detected by MRI in 3 groups were 0, 7 and 10, respectively;1 week after modeling, those were 3, 13 and 13, respectively;2 weeks after modeling,those were 12, 13 and 10, respectively.Between NS group and 20 mg/L VEGF group, the statistical significance existed in the number of the rats in which the tumor was positively detected by MRI after 3 d of implanting, so did the NS group and 40 mg/L VEGF group.No statistical significance in the overall survival time between NS group and 20 mg/L VEGF group (P>0.05) was observed, but the significance existed between 40 mg/L VEGF group and NS group (P<0.01).CfONCLUSIONThe application of VEGF at dose of 20 mg/L and 0.1 mL/d shortens the time to establish the transplanted liver cancer model without influence on the overall survival , which is a safe, feasible and efficient way, and is more suitable for anti-VEGF drug investigation.