title: Intraocular transplants of a human gastrinoma in immuno-suppressed rats: morphological, chromatographic and functional studies.
abstract: Tissue pieces of a metastatic human gastrinoma (ultrastructural Type II) were successfully transplanted to the anterior eye-chamber of rats immunosuppressed with Cyclosporin A. Immunocytochemical investigation of the transplants showed evidence for preserved endocrine activity of tumour cells with immunoreactivity towards the C-terminal of the gastrin/cholecystokinin molecule. Studies of gastric acid secretion in tumour-bearing rats and sham-operated controls with chronic gastric fistulas showed that the basal acid output did not differ between the groups during 3 weeks of study. However, the stimulated gastric acid secretion decreased after 5 days in both groups to remain significantly depressed throughout the study, an effect probably due to Cyclosporin A treatment of the groups. The concentration of immunoreactive gastrin in plasma from rats with tumours in oculo was 5 times higher than in sham-operated rats. Gastrin-34 was the major immunoreactive component in both patient serum and rat plasma. An immunoreactive fraction corresponding to component I was found in the patient serum, but not in the rat plasma, although present in the chamber fluid. Components corresponding to gastrin-17 were found both in the patient serum and in the rat plasma. The chromatographic pattern of the tumour was similar to that in rat chamber fluid. The dominating component corresponded to gastrin-17, while gastrin-34 represented the quantitatively smaller component. Gastrin-34 was, however, relatively more abundant in the tumour extract than in the chamber fluid. The study also indicates that a gastrin-producing tumour transplanted in oculo in immunosuppressed rats may increase the rat plasma concentration of the same molecular forms of gastrin as seen in the clinical situation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Theodorsson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ryberg
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Ericson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dahlström
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahlman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000867:Anterior Chamber; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D005260:Female; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D015408:Gastrinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005755:Gastrins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D005755:Gastrins; D011498:Protein Precursors; C013706:big gastrin; C013550:gastrin 17