title: Pulmonary metastases of the A549-derived lung adenocarcinoma tumors growing in nude mice. A multiple case study.
abstract: Lung adenocarcinoma is a leading human malignancy with fatal prognosis. Ninety percent of the deaths, however, are caused by metastases. The model of subcutaneous tumor xenograft in nude mice was adopted to study the growth of control and photodynamically treated tumors derived from the human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line. As a side-result of the primary studies, observations on the metastasis of these tumors to the murine lungs were collected, and reported in the present paper. The metastasizing primary tumors were drained by a prominent number of lymphatic vessels. The metastatic tissue revealed the morphology of well-differentiated or trans-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Further histological and histochemical analyses demonstrated the presence of golden-brown granules in the metastatic tissue, similar to these found in the tumor tissue. In contrast to the primary tumors, the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed no nitric oxide - hemoglobin complexes (a source of intense paramagnetic signals), in the metastases. No metastases were found in other murine organs; however, white infarctions were identified in a single liver. Taken together, the A549-derived tumors growing subcutaneously in nude mice can metastasize and grow on site in the pulmonary tissue. Thus, they can represent an alternative for the model of induced metastatic nodule formation, following intravenous administration of the cancerous cells.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jakubowska
authors.forename: Martyna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sniegocka
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Podgórska
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Michalczyk-Wetula
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Urbanska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Susz
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fiedor
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pyka
authors.forename: Przemysław M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Płonka
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary*; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008027:Light; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D002734:Chlorophyll; C032623:pheophorbide a