title: Use of athymic nude mice for in vivo studies of human growth-hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas.
abstract: Human growth hormone (hGH)-secreting pituitary adenoma tissue of 31 acromegalic patients was transplanted subcutaneously onto 291 athymic nude mice. 37% of the transplanted adenoma fragments could be maintained vital up to 46 days. Histological examinations of the transplants revealed neither alterations in their morphological characteristics nor signs of growth. A maintenance or linear decline of hGH secretion of the transplants related to their vitality was observed by hGH radioimmunoassay. Estimation of graft vitality was improved by GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) stimulation in regular intervals. The rate of pituitary adenomas responding to GHRH was as high as in a major collective of acromegalic patients. Our method of positive selection of vital xenotransplanted hGH-secreting pituitary adenomas via hGH detection at regular intervals in combination with GHRH stimulation gives the opportunity of reliable in vivo research with these tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Hamburg, FRG.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Puchner
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lüdecke
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Saeger
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Herrmann
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000378:metabolism; D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006085:Graft Survival; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone