[Study on role of metallothionein in anticancer effect of copper green on treatment of experimental hepatocarcinoma in mice].
OBJECTIVE
To study the role of metallothionein (MT) in the anticancer effect of copper green on experimental hepatoma (H22) in mice.


METHODS
Atomic absorbency spectrometry (AAS), silver saturation method and histochemistry method were used to study the content and distribution of copper and MT in liver and tumor tissues.


RESULTS
(1) Both copper and MT contents in liver tissue of the copper treated group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.001 in both). (2) Copper content in tumor tissue of the treated group was higher whereas MT content was markedly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.001). (3) Histochemical examination showed that in the copper treated group, both copper and MT existed simultaneously in plasma and nuclei of liver cells, while in the tumor tissue, rich in copper but few or negative in MT existed.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) In liver tissue, large amount of MT is coupled with copper which is helpful to protect liver from the damage of copper. (2) The decrease of MT in tissue of tumor could be beneficial for copper to exert full effect in killing tumor cell.
Huang
G
G
China-Japan Friendship Medical Institute, Beijing, China.
Zhou
S
S
Du
H
H
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003300:Copper / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D011897:Random Allocation; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein