[Therapeutic effect of EGFR antisense cDNA on rat C6 gliomas in vivo].
OBJECTIVE
To study the therapeutic effect of EGFR antisense cDNA on rat C6 glioma in vivo and find out the feasibility of using EGFR gene as a target in gene therapy of gliomas.


METHODS
Wild type C6 cells and C6 cells transfected with EGFR antisense cDNA were implanted stereotaxically to the caudate nucleus of right cerebrum of Wistar rats (control and transfected group, 8 and 6 rats respectively), and rats with cerebral tumor foci were treated with EGFR antisense cDNA mediated by Lipofectamine (treated group, 9 rats). The general manifestation, survival time, MRI features, histopathological change, proliferation activity and apoptosis of the gliomas in each group of rats were observed.


RESULTS
The mean survival time of control animals was 17.3 days. That of the 6 transfected and 6 treated animals was significantly prolonged. Four transfected and 3 treated rats were killed on day 28-90 after implantation for histopathological examination. The surviving time of the 4 remaining rats (1 transfected and 3 treated rats) was over 200 days. MRI demonstrated a distinct cerebral tumor in control rats, but the tumor foci were not found in the transfected rats and disappeared almost completely in the treated rats. The cerebral gliomas of rats after treatment with EGFR antisense cDNA showed decrease in proliferation activity and apoptosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of EGFR antisense cDNA in treatment of rat C6 glioma is encouraging. EGFR gene can be used as the target of gene therapy for malignant gliomas.
Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjing Medical University General Hospital.
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Liu
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Pu
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Wang
D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D016373:DNA, Antisense / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics*; D018773:Genes, erbB-1; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005910:Glioma / Q000628:therapy*; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D016373:DNA, Antisense; D066246:ErbB Receptors