Quantification of angiogenesis induced in rabbit cornea by breast carcinoma of women treated with tamoxifen.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tamoxifen on angiogenesis induced in rabbit cornea by breast carcinoma from post-menopausal women.


METHODS
Thirteen post-menopausal women with operable, estrogen receptor-positive breast carcinomas, treated with 20 mg of tamoxifen daily for 30 days prior to undergoing definitive surgery, participated in this study. Twenty-six virgin female New Zealand white rabbits, 3-4 months old, weighing approximately 2.5 kg each, were divided into two groups of 13 animals and received corneal implants of tumor either pre- or post-tamoxifen treatment. After 10 days, the animals were sacrificed, the region of the cornea between the tumor implant and the limbus was removed and quantification of angiogenesis was carried out by evaluating the entire hematoxylin-eosin stained slide, using a 10x objective lens (100x magnification). Student t-test was used in the statistical analysis of the data and statistical significance was established at P < 0.05.


RESULTS
Mean microvessel count was 106.8 +/- 5.9 pre-tamoxifen treatment and 54 +/- 5.6 post-treatment. According to Student t-test, there was a significant reduction in mean microvessel density following treatment with tamoxifen (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Rabbit cornea proved to be an interesting experimental model for the quantification of angiogenesis. Tamoxifen, when administered for 30 days to post-menopausal women with breast cancer, significantly inhibited angiogenesis induced by tumor fragments in rabbit cornea.
da Silva
Benedito Borges
BB
Department of Gynecology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil. beneditoborges@globo.com
da Silva Júnior
Raimundo Gerônimo
RG
Borges
Umbelina Soares
US
da Silveira Filho
Marcos Antônio Guedes
MA
Pimentel
Igor Clausius Carvalho
IC
Gebrim
Luiz Henrique
LH
Simões
Manuel de Jesus
Mde J
Baracat
Edmund Chada
EC
D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003315:Cornea / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects*; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D017698:Postmenopause; D011817:Rabbits; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
D013629:Tamoxifen