[Establishment of EL4 tumor-bearing mouse models and investigation on immunological mechanisms of anti-tumor effect of melphalan].
OBJECTIVE
To establish mouse lymphoma EL4 tumor-bearing mouse models in wild type C57BL/6 mice and nude C57BL/6 mice respectively, and to further investigate the immunological mechanisms of anti-tumor effect of melphalan.


METHODS
Mouse lymphoma EL4 cells were inoculated subcutaneously into wild type C57BL/6 mice (immune-competent mice). Twelve days later, melphalan of different doses were administered intraperitoneally to treat these wild type C57BL/6 tuomr-bearing mice. Tumor sizes were observed and recorded subsequently to find out the minimal dose of melphalan that could cure the tuomr-bearing mice. Then the same amount of EL4 tumor cells were inoculated subcutaneously into wild type C57BL/6 mice and nude C57BL/6 mice (T cell-deficient mice) simultaneously, which had the same genetic background of C57BL/6. Twelve days later, melphalan of the minimal dose was given intraperitoneally to treat both the wild type and nude C57BL/6 tuomr-bearing mice. Tumor sizes were observed and recorded in these two different types of mice subsequently.


RESULTS
A single dose of melphalan (7.5 mg/kg) could cure EL4 tumor-bearing wild type C57BL/6 mice, but could not induce tumor regression in EL4 tumor-bearing nude C57BL/6 mice.


CONCLUSIONS
A single dose of melphalan has obvious anti-tumor effect on mouse lymphoma EL4 tumor-bearing wild type C57BL/6mice, which requires the involvement of T lymphocytes in the host probably related to their killing functions.
Li
Mo-lin
ML
Pathophysiology department of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China. molin_li@hotmail.com
Li
Chuan-gang
CG
Shu
Xiao-hong
XH
Jia
Yu-jie
YJ
Qin
Zhi-hai
ZH
D000818:Animals; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008558:Melphalan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D008558:Melphalan