A chick embryo model for metastatic human prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To establish a suitable experimental model of bone and liver micrometastases from human prostate cancer for evaluating antitumor agents.


METHODS
PC-3 cells, an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line, were inoculated into the chorioallantoic membrane vein of 10-day-old chick embryos (10(6) cells/egg). The polymerase chain reaction product for the human beta-globin gene in chick embryo femur and liver was quantified at various time points after inoculation, when immunohistochemical staining was done for Ki-67 antigen and cytokeratin. The antitumor effect of suramin was evaluated using the model, as was regional blood flow after thallium injection.


RESULTS
Micrometastases were identified in bone and liver 1 day after inoculation and grew to form established metastatic foci in all embryos. Suramin showed significant antitumor effect for liver metastases, but not for those in bone where blood flow was relatively low.


CONCLUSIONS
The chick embryo system provides a highly reproducible model for bone and liver micrometastases from human prostate cancer, suitable for evaluating antineoplastic agents at an early stage of the metastatic process.
Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
T
T
Kobayashi
K
K
Koshida
Y
Y
Endo
T
T
Imao
T
T
Uchibayashi
T
T
Sasaki
M
M
Namiki
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000196:embryology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002824:Chorionic Villi; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000196:embryology; D013498:Suramin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D013498:Suramin; D005914:Globins