title: Effects of basic fibroblastic growth factor on the growth of human medulloblastoma xenografts.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of basic fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF) on the growth of human UM-MB1 medulloblastoma xenografts injected intracranially in nude mice. Under general anesthesia, a homogenous suspension of UM-MB1 cells (10(5)/10 microl) were injected in the caudoputamen nuclei of the right cerebral hemisphere using a stereotaxic apparatus. The treatment group (n = 9) received 10 microl of a bFGF solution (20 microg/ml) at 3 and 6 days following the inoculation of the cells at the injection site using the same stereotaxic coordinates. The control group (n = 9) were injected intracranially with a phosphate-buffered saline vehicle using a similar protocol. Mice were sacrificed 3 weeks following the xenograft surgery and the brains were prepared for histological observations as well as tumor volume evaluations. The mean volume of bFGF-treated tumors (mean volume +/- SD = 50.0 +/- 32.9 +/- mm3) was significantly smaller than for the non-treated xenografts (mean volume +/- SD = 199.0 +/- 42.1 mm3) (t-test, p < 0.001). Compared to non-treated tumor cells, bFGF-treated medulloblastoma cells had a greater cytoplasm volume and their nuclei contained more euchromatin suggesting that bFGF may initiate differentiation. In conclusion, our results suggest that bFGF may offer a new chemotherapeutic modality for the treatment of medulloblastoma.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biomédecine Vétérinaire, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montreal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada. pascal.vachon@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vachon
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Girard
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Théorêt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2